Mercer University volleyball player Aliyah “Ali” Waldon has lost her battle with bone cancer. She was 19.
Mercer University announced her death on Monday. They asked fans to “please keep Ali’s family in your thoughts and prayers.”
A GofundMe account raised over $103,000 for her cancer battle.
She joined the Mercer volleyball team in 2023, and was named to the All-Southern Conference team.
Ali majored in child psychology and was on the Dean’s list.
In 2024, she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare but aggressive bone cancer in her thigh, according to PEOPLE. She sat out her entire sophomore season in 2024.
Ali told WMAZ last year that she had a nagging pain in her hip that kept her up at night. She thought she had a torn ligament so she scheduled an MRI.
The MRI revealed she had a 6-inch tumor in her thigh bone near her hip. She underwent chemotherapy and fertility treatments to preserve her eggs for future children.
“I was definitely shocked because I was just looking for a tear,” she told WMAZ.
Ali’s volleyball teammates wore T-shirts that said “fight” with a yellow ribbon for an “I” in support of Ali.
WMAZ reported that she was able to return to the school to cheer on her teammates during the 2024 season.
Her mother Julie Rodgers provided updates on GoFundMe, where she also announced her death on Sunday.
“Our hearts are shattered,” Rodgers wrote on Sept. 28. “It is with deep sorrow that we announce that my beautiful Ali passed away at 4:36 this morning… Ali would not want us to be sad, she was not amongst the ordinary, she was the funniest, happiest, most loving person I’ve ever known and I was blessed to be her mom!”
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