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Sometimes the battle off the field is much more important than any game, tournament or championship between the lines.
For Anna Etter, a freshman catcher and infielder at Lewisburg (Olive Branch, Miss.) High, she’s already impressed with her accomplishments on the softball field as she helped lead her prep team to a 26-11 record this year and earned 2nd Team All-County honors at first base.
Though her Lewisburg High team lost in the Mississippi 6A North Half finals—losing the series 2-to-1 to South Panola High to prevent them from going to the state finals—Anna finished off the season strong by getting three hits in the final playoff game.
When not playing for her varsity high school team, Anna competes for her Blue Angels 14U team led by Head Coach Jamie Rapa and the squad has played across the South in events in Alabama, Arkansas and Louisiana.
Anna’s on-field accomplishments, however, pale in light of what the high schooler has done off the field—particularly in being a hero within her own family.
The Class of 2026 grad is the daughter of Jason and Tara Etter and, at age 15, is the middle of three children with an older brother, Zach (age 22) and a younger sister, Evalyn (11).
The close-knit family was enjoying life in Memphis, Tenn. area—especially following Anna’s success in softball—when their lives were turned upside down three years ago as Zach was diagnosed with Leukemia (blood cancer).
It’s been an up-and-down battle since then, but things worsened earlier this spring when Zach’s health declined and it was decided that he would need a bone marrow transplant. Testing revealed that the best match would be his younger sister, Anna.
The surgery is set for June 26—a month from now—and it will be another battle for Zach, Anna and their family as he will first have chemotherapy and full body irradiation prior to the bone marrow transplant.
The love for her sibling is heart-warming as Anna states:
“I will do whatever it takes for him to get better.”
Our prayers and best wishes go out to the Etter family as they prepare for this procedure and we also want to thank Coach Mandi Balduf, the Area Director for National Scouting Report who works with Anna and first made us aware of this fearless young athlete.
Click HERE to see Anna’s profile on NSR.
Mandi explains that when she was evaluating whether to represent Anna as her NSR Scout, she took into consideration the closeness and support of her family around her.
“If I’m going to advocate on your behalf,” she begins, “I need families and players that are more than sports families. Yes, Anna is gifted and is a beast on the field, but I’m looking for good people first and foremost.”
“I want kids who understand the bigger picture and want the most for their teammates, ones who are willing to do whatever it takes for the betterment of the team.”
And, as the NSR leader points out, this isn’t just limited to softball play on the field.
“This (the Etter family’s support of Zach) is no different. Anna’s greatest teammates are her brother and her family. The support system and faith they have is nothing short of amazing. The bigger picture here is life and no game is greater than the one her brother and family are in to continue to thrive and survive.”
— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball
Below is the first-person account of Zach’s medical situation and his sister Anna’s willingness to help as explained by their mother, Tara…
*****
Anna’s brother, Zach, who shares a love for baseball and softball, was diagnosed with high-risk B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in June 2020 after a nine-month search for answers why he wasn’t feeling well.
We live just outside of Memphis, Tenn., home of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Unfortunately, Zach was 12-days too old for treatment in our hometown so we made the trip to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville, Tenn., where he would receive his life-saving care. Zach’s treatment went well and he was able to quickly achieve remission, although the complete treatment plan lasts two years.
During this time Anna’s competitive softball family, Blue Angels – Rappa, provided continuous love and support to Zach and our family. Softball provided an outlet for our family to almost forget we were battling cancer.
When a sibling is sick to this degree, the whole family is affected. The love for the sport, mini vacations (aka out-of-town tournaments) is where we found an escape and joy through the toughest of times.
Zach’s treatment ended in October 2022 as planned. He stayed in remission as hoped and was able to return to work and start his post-high school life, spending time with friends, taking trips, and planning for his career.
In December 2022, however, Zach began having some vision changes that would come and go. After seeing the doctor, it was determined the changes were from a recent infection.
Still, in March 2023, Zach’s vision became significantly worse. He had terrible pain behind his eyes, partial blindness, and sensitivity to light. He visited the emergency room twice, and testing showed his optic nerves were swollen.
After speaking with his oncologist, we decided that Zach needed to return to Nashville for further testing. It was then we learned Zach’s leukemia had returned and it was in his spinal fluid, dura (space around the brain), and likely his optic nerves of his eyes–all places he never had leukemia detected before.
The team moved quickly, and treatment started the same day. His doctor said he ultimately needs a bone marrow transplant to survive. She said this treatment cycle would be much more difficult on him physically, and Zach’s doctor carefully walked us through what needed to happen to help get him back into remission.
He would start immediately with chemotherapy, then total body irradiation to ensure all cancer was gone before transplant. Simultaneously while beginning treatment, the transplant team began searching for Zach’s hero.
After searching the bone marrow donor registry, we found there wasn’t anyone found who matched Zach for transplant. It was decided he would need a haploidentical, or half-match, transplant.
In this case, immediate family—his dad, mom, and sisters (Anna and Evalyn)—submitted samples to see if anyone could be his donor champion. It was determined that Anna would be his closest match.
Without hesitation, the younger sister agreed she would donate for her big brother.
When asked how much she loves her brother and that she would be willing to donate her stem cells, Anna said:
“I love him a lot. I will do whatever it takes for him to get better.”
This was not an unexpected response, as we have seen her act the same way on the field. This spring season, Anna took on a new position she hasn’t ever played before as her team needed a first baseman and she stepped up to the challenge!
Anna mentioned her first thought when learning she would be Zach’s champion was:
“I’m glad it’s me and not Evalyn (sister). I think it would be very scary for her.”
Zach, in turn, humbly responds:
“I am very grateful for Anna. She is my best friend, and I love her unconditionally. To go through this with her by my side, is the best thing I could have asked for.”
Due to the characteristics of Zach’s leukemia cells, he requires immature stem cells meaning the surgeons will need to take them directly from Anna’s bone marrow. They will harvest one liter of her bone marrow and transplant them to Zach through his I.V. line the same day.
When Anna was asked if she is scared of the donation process, she replied with a confident “No!”
She added:
“My mom has talked me through it all. The procedure isn’t scary, and I will be asleep through it all, anyway!”
The recovery time depends on each person but, according to the doctors, it helps that Anna is a young athlete and they anticipate that she will recover well. Our bodies generally have three to four liters of bone marrow, and it is expected Anna will experience fatigue, and soreness from the incisions at both hipbones.
With catcher being her primary position, the doctors want her to rest for at least one full week. At this juncture, the timing of the transplant is at the beginning of a two-week stretch of tournaments and it will help to have softball to look forward to once the procedure is cover.
In our home, we call it “perfect timing!”
— Tara Etter, mother to Zach, Anna and Evalyn
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