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College student wows on the field as she battles cancer

EASTON, Mass. — The faint, almost unnoticeable scar on her neck is the only clue to the fact that MacKenzie Greenberg is in the fight of her life.

"Everyone has their own story. Everyone has their own battle,” MacKenzie told FOX25.

To the outside world, "Mack" as friends call her, seems like the picture of health:  a 20-year-old double-major at Stonehill College, scouted and playing for one of the best field hockey teams in the country.

"She is the definition of a strong woman.  She's probably one of the strongest people I know,” said Alexandria Sylvia, a classmate.

MacKenzie's teammates know she earned that trait the hard way.

At a routine physical at 16, her pediatrician noticed MacKenzie’s thyroid seemed swollen. It was the only hint at what tests would later reveal.

“I was symptom-free. I had no idea,” she said.

Doctors discovered a tumor on her thyroid, and diagnosed her with metastatic cancer. It means that cancer cells can pop up almost anywhere, at any time.

To see her play today, you’d have no idea the cancer cells are in her lungs and she’s also battling pneumonia.

Her dedication and unfailing effort is what makes her so inspiring to her team and her coach.

"This year, she's made so many strides on so many levels. Not just on the field,” said Susan Ciufo, her coach.

Ciufo said that MacKenzie gives 100 percent in everything she does because she doesn't know what challenge she might face tomorrow.

"It is a powerful story, and I think what even makes it more powerful is that it’s not done yet,” Ciufo told FOX25.

Since her diagnosis years ago, MacKenzie said tumors have been found at nearly every six-month scan she's had. Her treatment plan calls for her third round of radiation.

She's hoping her team can go all the way to the national championship in November, and that she can delay the therapy until after they bring home the title.