“The worst day of my life, the worst day of my wife’s life, was that day,” said David Watkins, Maya’s father. “I can’t even begin to tell you how horrible it was. It was a big scare, and the bone marrow biopsies were not easy for Maya. They are extremely painful. And because her bones are so dense as a collegiate athlete, they couldn’t go deep enough punching through the hip, so they had to actually do it twice. It was brutal.”
Thankfully, the biopsy came back negative for cancer.
“She handled it all with grace,” Boise State beach volleyball coach Allison Buck said. “She had a great attitude about it and I can’t say enough about how much strength she’s shown.”
- By Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman. Photo courtesy of David Watkins.