Rashard Kelly draws strength during AfterShocks TBT run from mother who beat cancer

Not many people know that when Rashard Kelly was 19 years old, he spent two straight weeks at home acting as the caretaker for his mother following her surgery to remove breast cancer.

It was during the summer following his freshman season at Wichita State. While his teammates all spent the end of their summers recharging for the upcoming basketball season, Kelly spent just about every minute of every day back in his childhood home in Fredericksburg, Virginia, helping his mother recover.

It was a life-altering experience and deepened the bond between them beyond what words can describe, as Kelly’s worldview changed forever when he saw the strength, courage and resilience of his mother firsthand.

Earlier this week Tammy Kelly, at age 50, celebrated her seven-year anniversary of a cancer-free diagnosis by watching her son excel once again at Koch Arena, where Rashard has helped the AfterShocks advance to the Final Four of The Basketball Tournament this weekend in Dayton and two wins away from the $1 million prize.

After watching what his mother conquered, Rashard said she has been his foundation for his successful basketball career.

“Anything I want to do, I can accomplish with some hard work and some commitment,” Rashard said. “My mom wasn’t going to allow cancer to defeat her. She knew she was going to win the battle. She knew the battle could be won and she overcame it.”

‘That meant the world to me’

It was a routine check-up at the doctor’s office in the summer of 2015 when Tammy Kelly learned she had Stage 0 breast cancer.

She felt relief that the doctors had caught it so early, but it was also jarring to be told she had cancer.

“I cried so much after I left the doctor, I went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror and I already looked like a cancer patient,” Tammy said. “I probably did that for about a week.

“After a week of crying, I got down on my knees and spoke to the Lord and gave it up to him. And from that point on, if I didn’t tell you that I had cancer, you would have never known.”

Rashard encouraged her to schedule her surgery to coincide with his two-week break following summer workouts in Wichita, so he could return home to Fredericksburg and take care of her post-surgery.

True to his word, Rashard acted as a full-time caretaker for Tammy, who was told to be on bed rest for a month after the surgery. He brought her food and drinks, walked her to and from the bathroom and helped her change clothes on a daily basis.

He celebrated her minor triumphs and encouraged her past her low points, which were many for someone who had lived her everyday life constantly on the go with her work as a hairstylist.

“I’m the type of person who never lays down like that, so at one point I got real frustrated and I started crying because I don’t want to be like this,” Tammy said. “He would tell me, ‘Mom, it’s going to be OK. You just need to rest and relax and everything will be back to normal.’”

Because Rashard had been away from home since high school to pursue his basketball career, Tammy was used to seeing him go.

But this time when she saw him off at the airport, it was a different emotion. Those two weeks forever changed their relationship.

“When he turned the corner at the airport, the tears just flowed. I was so emotional,” Tammy said. “I think it was just going through everything and having him there with me the whole time when everyone else was at work, that just meant the world to me. Knowing that he was gone and I wasn’t going to have him here with me anymore, that was hard.”

‘She still pushes me to this day’

Seven years later, Rashard Kelly has carved out a successful professional basketball career.

After sacrificing individual statistics (his career-best scoring season at WSU was 5.6 points his senior year) to help the Shockers reach four straight NCAA tournaments, the 6-foot-7 forward has averaged double-figures all four years as a pro in some of the best leagues in the world in Russia, Italy, Turkey and France. This upcoming season he is signed to play for the Tasmania JackJumpers in the Australian National Basketball League.

Kelly has also become a vital piece on the AfterShocks, which finished their second straight summer undefeated at Koch Arena entering Saturday’s TBT semifinal game against Americana For Autism at 5 p.m. Central time broadcast on ESPN.

“A lot of times in college you’re forced to play in a structured system and some guys have to sacrifice some of their game for the team and Rashard was probably a lot like that,” AfterShocks coach Zach Bush said. “His confidence has grown and he’s worked so hard on his skillset. He’s like our Draymond Green where he has such a high basketball IQ and can do a little bit of everything and can guard everyone on the court. He’s a key piece and a core member to this team.”

The brotherhood the AfterShocks have helped create is the reason why he comes back every summer to reconnect with his former teammates. But it’s also a special experience to have his mother be able to watch him play in person once again.

“She’s strong. She has a great mind, a great heart and is a loving person,” Rashard said. “She still pushes me to this day.”

It was important to Tammy, even at her lowest moment, to always set the example for her son to push forward in life.

“I think Rashard sees me as a go-getter and that nothing can stop me,” Tammy said. “It made me a more determined person to beat cancer. Now I’m healthier and a better person than I was before my diagnosis. He knows that having that cancer has made me even stronger.”

Another motivation in Rashard’s life is his 2-year-old son, who is already taking after his father on the basketball court.

“My son is a ball hog,” Rashard said. “All he wants to do is dribble and shoot. He don’t want to pass to nobody. He thinks he can shoot wherever he’s at. In the bathroom when you’re washing your hands, he’s trying to shoot the paper towels into the trash. All he wants to do is shoot.”

Kelly already has a plan in place for his cut of the $1 million, which stands to be a little more than $71,000.

“We need to get you some tuition money,” Kelly told his son as he was carrying him back to the locker room following Wednesday’s win at Koch Arena.

There’s a lot to celebrate lately with the Kelly family, a feeling that is made even sweeter knowing where they’ve come from.

“It makes me really, really, really proud as a mother to see Rashard out there playing so well and having his son there for all of these special moments,” Tammy said. “And it just makes me feel really good to see the way that Wichita shows love to Rashard and the way those fans welcome him back. As a mother, that means a lot.”