Serving an Ace

High School junior Thang Lieu is a competitive tennis player who is ready to play first singles for the Swainsboro Tigers this spring.  He played first doubles last year, winning Region 2AA and advancing to the Sweet Sixteen with his partner.  Lieu’s story is one of courage and inspiration as he competes at a high level even though he plays the fast pace sport of tennis with an artificial leg from the knee down.

He recalls those early days, in the eighth grade, when he was trying to work through the cancer that was attacking his body.  After ten weeks of chemo, the results showed that the cancer required amputation of his right leg.  Lieu struggled mentally with the life-threatening effects of cancer as tumors were also found in his lungs that required surgical removal.

Homebound and confined to a wheelchair Lieu feared the worst, but thankfully the cancer went into remission.  Like most athletic boys, Lieu thought his physical disability would mean limiting some activities like playing in the band or getting back on the tennis court. However, this is not a story of defeat, but one of a second chance that would drive him out of the wheelchair and back into action full force.

With the help and encouragement of friends and family, Lieu was fitted with a prostheses leg and a runner’s blade that enabled mobility and balance.  After much trial and error and many slips and falls, Lieu found out that tennis could still be his game.

Lieu said that he felt his faith lift him up during those early cancer days, giving him the courage to make his disability an inspiration not a handicap.  Lieu’s cancer experience propels him into the spotlight each time he takes the court.  What people see on the court and hear from his mouth is a young man with a big heart who feels blessed and grateful for a second chance.

A second chance on the court also turned into a second chance in the classroom.  Having been an uninterested student Lieu says, “I was determined to do better.” Lieu is now an “A” student, taking honors classes and dedicating time to his studies.  He has found it rewarding to get better grades and to be regarded as a student-athlete that gives his best at everything.

Coach Donna Godowns says Lieu’s story has been inspirational to everyone.  “He is a compassionate young man who loves to help others on the tennis court and in the classroom.  His willingness to give back and his desire to be known as someone who gives 100% plus effort has just made a huge impact.  From not knowing if the cancer was going to take more than his leg,” says Godown, “to winning the Tennis Doubles Region Championship, Thang’s story has inspired us all.”

Lieu played doubles as a sophomore which seems safer than having to cover the entire tennis court, but Lieu says he prefers singles.  “I prefer singles because I truly enjoy challenging myself physically and mentally in the sport of tennis. I like showing other players and opponents that just because I have a physical disability does not mean that I cannot still fight as hard as any other athlete on the court.”

Through it all, his mother, two brothers, and sister have supported Lieu through this encounter with cancer.  Some two years later, he feels great but must continue to have quarterly x-rays taken to monitor his body.

It is said that no one knows how much we can affect others with the way we live our daily lives.  Thang Lieu’s heroic story is just more proof that our impact on others can be enormous.  Cancer is big and bad, however, it is not the cards we are dealt, but how we play them that matters.

Favorites:
Pro Player: Roger Federer
Book: My Bible
Food: Double Bacon Cheeseburgers and a triple order of hash browns from Waffle King
Sport you wish you could play: Golf
Superpower:    Teleportation    
School Subject: Math

CL-SF-032014
Thang Lieu
Swainsboro High School
Swainsboro, GA
Tom Hilliard
Serving an Ace