This article appears in the March edition of US Lacrosse Magazine. Don't get the mag? Join US Lacrosse today to start your subscription.

Exactly one year ago, Stephanie Finley was diagnosed with chordoma, an extremely rare cancer affecting just one in a million Americans per year.

Finley was just 24 and preparing to coach the Dallas-area Greenhill School girls’ lacrosse team that she had led to the Texas Division 2 state title in her second year. Only three years before, she had graduated from James Madison as the 2014 CAA Co-Player of the Year and the program’s single-season draw control record holder.

Finley put her life on hold and returned to her hometown outside Philadelphia. It took three surgeries over three months to remove a mass bigger than a lacrosse ball from the base of her skull.

“Being a post-collegiate athlete, I healed very quickly,” Finley said. “The doctors couldn’t believe how fast I healed.”

Finley has just two memories from being in the neuro ICU at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania during recovery — Greenhill repeating as state champions and James Madison winning the CAA title on the way to the NCAA tournament. JMU went on to win its first national championship in 2018, led by seniors who were freshmen when Finley played. The Dukes wore her initials and jersey No. 3 throughout their title run.

“JMU going through what they did, it was unbelievable,” Finley said. “It helped me more than they’ll ever know.”

Now Finley is hoping to rally support for other families affected by cancer through a new HEADstrong Foundation campaign, Game Hair Havoc. A companion program to HEADstrong’s Lacrosse Mustache Madness for the men’s game, Game Hair Havoc encourages women’s teams to style their hair on game days to raise awareness and online funds for HEADstrong. The campaign started Feb. 17 and will run through March 31.

“Lacrosse has always been my life,” Finley said. “To be able to help grow this knowledge of the struggles of people with cancer and families with cancer is unbelievable. To be able to do that through the lacrosse world is great.”

Finley was aware of HEADstrong founder Nick Colleluori’s story from growing up in the Philadelphia area. She wore shoelaces ordered from HEADstrong in high school and coached at HEADstrong clinics in Dallas before being diagnosed with cancer herself.

“I have pictures of myself in high school wearing the laces,” Finley said. “Never would I have thought to this day that I would be in the platform I am on the other side of things.”

Finley used to style the hair of her fellow JMU captains Lexi Cross and Ali Curwin the same way before every game. Finley always wore a purple bow in her braided ponytail, a superstitious tradition.

“Every girl has their signature game day hairstyle,” Finley said. “Even if you don’t, this is a fun way to maybe start that for certain players. The biggest thing is this being a fun way for the lacrosse community to come together for a great cause.”

Finley continues to recover outside Philadelphia with hopes of returning to working and coaching this spring, and some day playing again.

“The biggest thing about getting back into lacrosse,” Finley said, “is getting back into shape and adjusting to the new me with what I’ve gone through.”