Bixby Cheerleaders Rally To Support One Of Their Own Diagnosed With Cancer

Imagine getting ready for your first day of high school and learning you have bone cancer.

That's what happened to a Bixby High School cheerleader. Friday night, the entire community came together to show support for Maddi Simmons.

Instead of the usual shade of Spartan blue, the stands were a sea of turquoise, which is Maddi Simmons' favorite color.

"We fight because she fights."

The slogan is powerful. The inspiration is Maddi Simmons.

The Bixby High School freshman cheerleader was diagnosed with bone cancer just three weeks ago. She missed her first day of high school, first home football game, but she was there Friday night, cheering on the Spartans.

"I haven't been able to do anything in a really long time, so I'm going to try to cheer and see how it goes," Simmons said.

Even though this is her first year on the squad, the entire team came together for one mission.

"I remember when we first found out, it was so surreal how quickly our entire squad was completely on board to do whatever we possibly could to back Maddi and her family through this time," said Bixby Cheer co-captain Summer Post.

The team sold 1,500 turquoise shirts, raising $10,000 for Simmons.

"It's crazy going to school this morning, because everyone was planning to wear their shirts, and the whole school was a sea of turquoise," said co-captain Brooke Crow.

The Bixby cheerleaders aren't only supporting Simmons. They also showed some love to the opponents. a member of their dance team is battling leukemia.

Simmons said moments like this give her inspiration to beat her cancer.

"I just think her being part of a team is really important. These girls, they love her, they went to camp with her, they really want to support her the best way they can and make life as normal as possible in this kind of situation," said cheer coach Sharla Burgess.

The cheer team is competing in a competition next week. They've changed a line in their cheer to say "The battle isn't over. We've just begun. She fights; we fight."

Simmons said she teared up when she heard about this change.