L'Anse Creuse North cheerleaders unite to support teammate who has cancer

MACOMB, Mich. – The L'Anse Creuse North cheerleading squad is all smiles, but it’s been a really tough season, especially for sophomore Kenzie Czapski.

She wasn’t feeling well in the winter. Then, in December, she got a terrible diagnosis.

“I was really sick. They found a tumor and a few days later they told us it was cancer,” Czapski said.

Czapski was diagnosed with cancer, a disease that took the life of her mom, Denise, in 2016. That is just unfair.

“I remember seeing her go through chemo,” Czapski said. “I was scared. What will it be like? How will this go?”

Almost immediately after the cheerleading team found out about the diagnosis, they decided that Kenzie’s fight was also theirs. 

“We were devastated, obviously,” senior Sydney Meyer said. “She was our spirit.”

The team made shirts in support and the cheerleaders wore lime green bows in their hair, as did the cheerleaders at the team's sister school, L'Anse Creuse. The team also held a fundraiser during the season.

Now that the season is over, they’re planning another fundraiser. The cheerleaders are doing anything they can to lift up a teammate and her family. It’s been a lesson that can’t be taught in the classroom.

“One of your best friends has cancer,” Meyer said. “That teaches you how to be strong.”

Czapski said she isn’t letting cancer get her down, and it seems her teammates aren’t going to let her fall.  


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Jamie anchors sports coverage on Local 4 News Saturdays at 6 & 11 p.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m., in addition to hosting Sports Final Edition.