Bay FC star player Jen Beattie shares breast cancer survivor story

Bay FC star Jen Beattie diagnosed at 29 with cancer, shares story of survival

Jen Beattie is a pro athlete and advocate. The Bay FC defender was diagnosed with breast cancer at 29 years old with no family history. She is now cancer-free and sharing her story with people living with cancer, and the importance of early detection.

A star player on the Bay Area's pro women's soccer team Bay FC has won a personal battle off the field.

Since moving from London to the Bay Area to join the team, 33-year-old defender Jen Beattie continues to share her cancer experience with fans and people living with the disease.

Beattie was just 29 years old when she found out she had breast cancer.

She had no family history, but felt a lump.

"Things felt a little bit abnormal. I didn't really know what to do, but in a sort of privileged position in pro soccer, where we constantly have doctors around us," Beattie said. "I was at Arsenal at the time, and kind of said can you check this out for me, and she thankfully referred me on to all the right doctors and was diagnosed with stage 1 in the middle of Covid."

Beattie said when she learned of her diagnosis, she didn't know anyone in professional soccer who had dealt with cancer, especially at a young age.

Away from family and friends in Scotland, Beattie said it was her Arsenal FC teammates in the UK who became her support system, as she tried to make sense of how someone so healthy could have cancer.

"It was really hard to wrap my head around that," she said. "It was lack of understanding, lack of education, and I knew that at that point, I wanted to use the platform of playing futbol to kind of raise awareness, and help people understand that cancer can happen to anyone and it's about trying to find it early."

Beattie underwent surgery and was out of the game for about six weeks.

She played through her radiotherapy treatments and is now cancer-free.

On Tuesday, she shared her story with people living with cancer in partnership with the nonprofit Pink Ribbon Good at Vasona Park in Los Gatos.

She encouraged the group to stay active and motivated during and after treatment, as they went for a mile-long walk.

"From her talk, I took it that - it's not the end of everything, don't be so hard, and so down on yourself," said San Jose resident Zillah Maguire.

Maguire was a fan of Beattie, before she even knew the soccer star battled cancer.

Maguire found out that she has stage 1 breast cancer in May, after she experienced difficulty breathing.

"There's been days where my emotions have been up, been down, 'cause I'm on my own, I'm like Jen, I have no family here," said Maguire, who is also Scottish like Beattie. "I'm by myself, I don't have anybody that sits and visits me... so I'm hoping I can have that here with the people here."

Pink Ribbon Good, which provides free supportive services to people with breast and gynocological cancer, said preventative care is critical.

"I think that's part of the message that she's trying to get out - that even young people need to be aware that breast cancer can happen to younger women and you need to learn how to do self-exams, so that then if you find something that's wrong with your body, you have to advocate for yourself," said Bay Area regional manager of Pink Ribbon Good Pam Klaus.

Beattie shared with the group that she is a different person after cancer.

"I'm not hesitant to do things anymore. I understand life is beyond precious and it's about being kind to people and understanding that they might be going through something really difficult," Beattie said. "I would say I'm in my ‘yes’ era. That's the way I like to say it, I say ‘yes’ to everything."

She has said ‘yes’ to a lot of new experiences as a new Bay Area resident. Beattie said she loved visiting Lake Tahoe, and learning how to play golf. She also considers herself a hiker.

In August, Beattie will be honored for her advocacy and serve as keynote speaker at Pink Ribbon Good's fundraising gala.

Featured