When midfielder Luana joined the Orlando Pride from Brazilian side Corinthians for the 2024 season, the expectation was that she would become a key cog in the midfield. What nobody could have expected was a Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis that turned her world upside down in April last year.
Luana made just three appearances for the Pride in her debut season before the club announced her diagnosis. The soccer community as a whole rallied around her, and Luana was a welcome presence at the Pride training ground throughout her recovery process, whenever possible.
“As a professional athlete I have faced many challenges, on and off the field. I have always fought with courage and determination, and this time will be no different,” Luana said in a statement after her diagnosis. “I really appreciate the support of my family and friends who have strengthened me in this moment. I also want to thank Brazil’s National Team and Orlando Pride for their unconditional support.”
The challenge was something new for Luana to overcome, and she would not be able to do it alone. Her resilience would be put to the test, and her fight to recover would serve as an inspiration to the team.
“When we heard about that diagnosis, it was heartbreaking. It just puts things in perspective when things like that happen,” Orlando defender Kylie Nadaner said to documentary filmmakers. “I come to training and I’m like ‘Oh I’m tired’ or I’m complaining about something, and then I see Lu out there training after having a chemo session and I’m like ‘Kylie, you need to shut up right now.’
“She was so incredibly strong, and a huge rallying point for us.”
All through the 2024 season, her teammates wore wristbands with her number 8 on them, bringing their teammate on the field with them through a historic run that culminated in winning both the NWSL Shield and the NWSL Championship.
“It meant a lot to me, you know? I think I felt that I wasn’t alone, that they were thinking about me, that they were really with me, that it was a very difficult time, and to feel this affection,” Luana said about the support from her team in a video the Pride is producing. “It was very, very important for me to move forward, start treatment, and face this… this adversity.”
In September 2025, over 15 months since her diagnosis, Luana returned to the field as a substitute against Alajuelense in the Concacaf W Champions Cup. She has made nine total appearances since her return, but only three of those games were as a starter. Instead, she is serving as a crucial game-changer off the bench.
No moment reflected her importance to the team more than in the final moments of Friday’s quarterfinal matchup against Seattle Reign FC. Marta unleashed an incredible run before being brought down in the box, earning a penalty to seal the deal on an important victory. Instead of stepping up to take the kick as she usually does, Marta handed the ball over to Luana and gave her a moment in the spotlight.
Luana converted with ease, scoring her first NWSL goal, but the moment was about so much more than that. For the team, it was a chance to see their teammate shine after so much adversity. Her struggle was a rallying cry for the squad, and her return serves as both a morale boost and another important attacking option on the field, especially since the team is already shorthanded.
“One year ago I didn’t even know if I would be playing again, and today I’m here,” an emotional Luana said after the match. “Nothing is impossible.”
Orlando will need her abilities on the field if it wants to repeat as champions, and having a player with her experience and quality is a massive advantage. She is proficient at progressing the ball up the field to create space and opportunities for players like Marta to exploit, and the Pride will certainly be leaning on her at some point.
Orlando player Marta (10) hands the ball to teammate Luana (8) to take a penalty kick after Marta was fouled late in the playoff quarterfinal against the Seattle Reign at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando on Friday. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)