HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — USF freshman soccer player Maria Bulis knows a little something about adversity. Her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother are all breast cancer survivors. Hearing the diagnosis is something no family ever gets used to.
"They really didn't know if was going to survive. It was that severe," Maria's mother, Sarah, said via video chat. "I remember we said to the oncologist when we saw him 'Am I going to survive?' And he said, 'Well, that's why you're here.' He wouldn't say 'Yes' to me.
"It was hard, obviously. But we knew that everything was in God's hands," Maria, a defender, said after practice. "We were scared, but we were also trusting God. We had each other. It was just all the normal emotions that you go through."
Another cancer diagnosis could cause a family to lose faith. Not the Bulis family.
"In the end, it strengthens our faith because we see how God took us through it. I think that's why hard things come. So that our faith can grow," Maria added. "So I think it's really important that we keep it."
Sarah said their family stayed optimistic throughout her treatment, but they weren't afraid to be completely honest as well.
"We were pretty open about everything," Sarah said. "It got to the point where at dinner, my kids would say, 'Dad, can we please not talk about cancer tonight?' So yeah, we tried to be very open and allowed any questions and any fears to come out, as they felt comfortable sharing with us."
Maria, a native of Yorba Linda, California, continued to chase her dream of playing college soccer. Bulls head coach Denise Schilte-Brown is happy she chose USF.
"She's able to see the bigger picture in almost everything she does. She's able to enjoy life that way," Schilte-Brown beamed. "She has this incredible servant heart. Yeah, she just wants to be joyful and help people. Like, who doesn't want that- in their life and on their team?"
"All of the sacrifices and the diligence. Not many people could do it," Sarah continued. "And I'm really thankful that she's there and that she's experiencing it in such a fantastic environment."
Maria says she relishes the chance to play for a program that's all about women empowering other women.
"I love being here because the head coach is a girl, and I think that's really cool," she laughed. "And I like the way that she runs it. I'm really encouraged by the way that she's always encouraging women to be strong."
Earlier this month, the Bulls won their annual Breast Cancer Awareness Game with a 2-1 victory over Memphis. Maria's mother and grandmother had pre-planned the trip, not knowing it was that particular game.
"[My mother] was recently cancer-free, and my grandma was there, and she was there. And I was playing soccer," Maria recalls. "And it was just kind of like seeing how everything had come full circle. And just God's goodness and how He carried us through it. And here we are! And we're better for it."
Sarah also believed there was some divine intervention at work that night.
"My mom and I being there. It was breast cancer awareness. She was on a team. It was just kinda everything in a nice little bow, all wrapped up for us. It was a gift from God."
Sarah's been cancer-free for 14 months, and she knows the importance of making the most of the opportunities you're given.
"Not one day is promised. So it really helps to live your life in thankfulness, and also with that kind of urgency, to do things that you want to do."
Maria and her teammates begin to play in the AAC tournament next week at UCF. The Bulls earned the #2 seed and a first-round bye. They'll face the winner of SMU and Cincinnati Thursday at 4 P.M.
