Cal soccer player remembers her late sister in a special dedication game

BERKELEY, Calif. - On a perfect October day for an afternoon soccer game, Cal women’s soccer defender Cailin Bloom had her late sister top of mind. 

The Oct. 13 game against top-ranked Duke filled the soccer bleachers at Edwards Stadium on the UC Berkeley campus.

During half-time, Bloom took to the mic and told those in the stands about her sister, Samantha Bloom, whom she called her best friend.  

In 2015, Samantha was diagnosed with a rare cancer, soft tissue sarcoma. After a more than three-year battle with the illness, in May 2019, the day after she turned 17, the high school junior died.

With just 16 months between them, the loss was enormous. Bloom told KTVU that she, along with her younger brother, were extremely close to Samantha. 

"She obviously meant a lot to me," the Cal soccer player shared. "Her loss was definitely tough."

It was during an excruciatingly difficult time following her sister's diagnosis when Bloom said she and her family got to experience an uplifting, happy moment: Her sister got to live out her dream of being a dolphin trainer.

The Bay Area chapter of the non-profit Make-A-Wish made it happen in 2016, while Samantha was in remission. 

Samantha, her two siblings and their parents were sent to the Bahamas for a week-long trip at the Atlantis Hotel that began with a fancy limousine ride to the airport.

"We experienced the stunning hotel, complete with water slides, one of which takes you through a shark tank where you can see the sharks up close through the glass," Bloom shared on her fundraising page.

And then her sister got to fulfill her dream of interacting and working with dolphins. She also got to feed and care for other marine life.

"The trip was just a little bit of brightness in such a terrible time," Bloom said in a video describing an effort she decided to launch in honor of her sister’s memory.

That effort was a dedication game to raise money for the non-profit that helped bring smiles, light, and a dream come true for her sister. 

The gift Samantha received will forever provide Cailin with the lasting memory of the happiness her sister felt, one that she held close and deeply cherished.

And Bloom's wish is that others will also be able to experience similar gifts.

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So the UC Berkeley senior hatched a plan to raise money for Make-A-Wish, with the support of her teammates and the Cal Sports' Cameron Institute. 

As part of that effort, she designed special jerseys with powerful, inspiring words that her sister held to: climb, fight, love, win, roar, thrive.

Players on the sideline wore the jerseys during the game. 

The game offered opportunities to raise money for Make-A-Wish through food sales and raffle tickets, and also included a post-match autograph session with the soccer team. 

Her family traveled from her hometown of Dixon to be in attendance. Mom, dad, brother and grandma all donned the Samantha-inspired jerseys. 

The 21-year-old Bloom said she had actually kept the details of her efforts from her parents as she wanted to surprise them.

"My parents had no idea about everything," the athlete said. "They were shocked. They were so proud of me they couldn't even believe how I put this on."

The fundraising event ended up bringing in more than $7,500 for Bay Area Make-A-Wish children and their families. 

It was the biggest partnership Cal Athletics has had with Make-A-Wish in recent memory, according to Athletics Communications Assistant Director Daniel Moebus-Bowles.

The event also drew a large crowd, leading to a bump in Cal Soccer’s attendance numbers.

"We are so appreciative to Cailin for dedicating the game and for her fundraiser in honor of her sister," Linda Anderberg, a spokesperson for Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area told KTVU, adding, "We’re also hoping to use this as a model for other student athletes that want to support Make-A-Wish." 

For Bloom, it was a day that not only honored her sister but offered a chance for her to give back to a group that played an important role in allowing her family to experience joy during a painful and challenging time. 

And while Cal was defeated in a heartbreaking 2-1 loss, it was a perfect day for a soccer match, a day Bloom felt her sister's presence in a powerful way.

"I felt like she was there the entire time," she said, "I was so motivated, and I just looked around, and I just saw her everywhere."