By JANIE McCAULEY<\/p>\n
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) \u2014 Sparkling and sequined in the Valkyries\u2019 violet colors from head to toe, down to her cane and prosthetic left leg, Cynthia Cheak reaches into a cross-body bag and pulls out a handful of Golden State playoff-themed bracelets she bought to share all around the arena. <\/p>\n
Then the 68-year-old Cheak begins her nightly ritual of walking through Chase Center giving them away.<\/p>\n
Always with a smile and signature message: \u201cHi, guys, want your swag? You\u2019ve got to have swag. You\u2019ve got to wear it. If you don\u2019t wear it, we don\u2019t win.\u201d<\/p>\n
The second-year WNBA franchise has given Cheak new life. <\/p>\n
A former personal trainer in Berkeley, she was struggling both emotionally and physically after losing her left leg two years ago. An amputation became necessary to keep her alive. Cheak had undergone knee replacement surgery in 2020 and dealt with an infection a week later, then nine surgeries and numerous antibiotics didn\u2019t heal her. A fall early last year led to yet another operation \u2014 No. 11 in total \u2014 on the amputated leg.<\/p>\n
She was lost.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s when the depression really got bad,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Finding new purpose<\/p>\n
Four months later, the Valkyries began playing and would make history becoming the first expansion franchise to reach the playoffs in its inaugural season.<\/p>\n
Cheak was hooked.<\/p>\n
Now, Golden State is in the WNBA semifinals with a 1-0 lead over the defending champion Las Vegas Aces going into Wednesday\u2019s Game 2. Cheak is cheering away, a beloved regular face among the team\u2019s diverse and vibrant \u201cBallhalla\u201d home crowd \u2014 a play on Valhalla from Norse mythology.<\/p>\n
Once she\u2019s inside Chase Center, Cheak can let go of her own challenges for a few hours and her mood instantly improves, knowing she is uplifting others each time she arrives to make new friends and greet old ones. She hugs children and poses for photos.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s euphoric when I come here,\u201d she said. \u201cJust the response of helping people, it\u2019s amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
She\u2019s always surprised to be recognized at Starbucks, Costco, the doctor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a hoot,\u201d Cheak said.<\/p>\n
Valkyries guard Kaitlyn Chen, who won an NCAA championship with Connecticut last year before being drafted by Golden State, signed Cheak\u2019s glittery prosthetic leg. There will be another one on order once Cheak can get all the players to provide their autographs to be laminated on the socket.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t sure I was going to walk again or be able to come to a game, and so the Valkyries \u2026 were really encouraging for me,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to come in with crutches or anything, so they just helped me get over the stuff, the mass depression I had about having no leg.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was so encouraging, I\u2019ve been here ever since,\u201d she said. \u201cNow I\u2019m an advocate for disabled, and passing out swag.\u201d <\/p>\n
Cheak has handed out some 20,000 bracelets since she started in June, and more than 8,000 of the playoff version over the past four games. She ordered more after the Game 1 victory.<\/p>\n
The Valkyries are inspired by their fan\u2019s courage<\/p>\n
And, while Cheak has been inspired by the Valkyries, they have felt the same way seeing her courage to come back. Chen loves her, after meeting Cheak just briefly.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s such joy, she\u2019s just always smiling and so happy and she put a smile on my face,\u201d Chen said. \u201cIt was pretty cool to be able to meet her. I feel like stories like hers are so incredible. It almost amazes me how much of an impact that we could have on other people\u2019s lives, and that really warms my heart and makes me happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Bay Area has sort of taken us in and I feel like they\u2019ve changed our lives as much as we\u2019ve changed theirs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once the Valkyries clinched a playoff berth on Aug. 17 by beating the Dallas Wings, Cheak had already ordered the playoff-themed bracelets, so they were ready to hand out the very next game two days later.<\/p>\n
When coach Natalie Nakase heard about Cheak\u2019s story, she immediately dedicated that clinching game to her team\u2019s loyal fan.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re playing for Cynthia,\u201d Nakase said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that she was able to transition into a better state, that\u2019s not easy for all of us who are human beings and we have really low days or states.\u201d<\/p>\n
In \u201cBallhalla,\u201d it\u2019s about everyone feeling equal. Cheak sees the joy from her giving, sure, but knows her presence matters in bringing awareness to the amputee community. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Valkyries were so inspirational for me,\u201d said Cheak, who still trains dementia patients while also doing her own strength work overseen by a trainer three days a week. <\/p>\n
She continues to make people smile every step of the way. Like fellow Valkyries fan Lauren Wu, who has gone through her own health ordeal.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only is she the sparkle queen over here with her sparkle theme, sparkle everything, she is the absolute bracelet fairy,\u201d said Wu, whose two daughters wear their wristbands from Cheak regularly. \u201cIt means something, it really does. It\u2019s the spirit of the whole community here, how giving everyone is.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Cheak, there has been one motivation:<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year, I want to spread the love.\u201d<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n