Former Salinas High School senior plays basketball for first time since leukemia diagnosis
SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) UPDATE MAY 13, 2023 at 5:37 p.m.- A Salinas High School Senior took to the basketball court for the first time Friday night after being diagnosed with cancer in 2022 at the age of 17.
Jenika Zurita was on her way to attending college in Idaho on a full-ride scholarship, going to prom, and walking at graduation when she received a leukemia diagnosis last May.
After a 7-month-long battle, Jenika was declared cancer-free, and released from the hospital back in December.
Friday night, the now 18-year-old suited up for the Cowboys one last time for the 2023 All-Star Game at Alisal High School.
A year ago, I was worried for other reasons," said Jenika's brother, Caden Zurita. "I definitely wanted to see her back on the court, but it wasn't my biggest concern. So seeing her out here now is definitely. It's a relief and a blessing."
"I thought getting sick was my sign to just stop playing basketball and focus on other stuff, so it was very fulfilling to be able to actually come back and play and have a good game," said Jenika.
To top it all off, Jenika's team blew out the competition winning 61 to 50.
She tells KION she plans to play ball at Skyline College in the Fall and hopes to play for a 4-year college after that.
ORIGINAL STORY
A Salinas High School senior will get to do what she loves after being diagnosed with leukemia in 2022 at 17.
Jenika Zurita was on her way to attending college in Idaho on a full-ride scholarship, going to prom and walking through graduation, when she was diagnosed with myeloid leukemia in May of 2022. She lost her hair and dropped 20 pounds as she battled cancer for seven months at Ronald Mcdonald House near the Stanford Medical Center.
She was cancer-free, released from the hospital in Dec. of 2022, and had been working hard to regain her strength to return to the court. The now 18-year-old will suit up for the Cowboys one last time at the 2023 All-Star Game held Friday at Alisal High School.
“I am so grateful for my healthy-again body and to be able to do things I couldn't while in treatment,” said Zurita. “It's been fun working myself back into shape and training to get to where I was before I got sick. I thought my diagnosis would result in me stepping away from the court, but it only strengthened my love for the game.”
She had to put her life on pause for seven months and plans to play basketball in the Fall for Skyline College in San Bruno.
Zurita credits her mother, Jennifer, with giving her the strength to persevere through her adversary.
"She put her life on pause to stay with me in Stanford and be with me 24/7,” she said. “I would also like to thank my close family and friends for their unwavering support. Most importantly, I want to thank everyone that showed me any kind of love. It was definitely the hardest time in my life thus far, but the kindness of others really helped me maintain a positive attitude.”
