The thrill of Cameron Indoor Stadium on gameday is an atmosphere Debbie Jones knows well.

The mom spent years cheering on her sons Tyus and Tre as they donned Duke blue on the hardwood under the leadership of legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Tyus helped the team claim a national championship in 2015 before being drafted into the NBA. His younger brother Tre followed suit a few years later and was named the 2020 ACC Player of the Year before also being drafted.

Tre was in the middle of conference play as a freshman in the 2018-19 season when Debbie broke the news she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“It was devastation,” Debbie recalled. “Anytime you hear the words ‘You have cancer’ it’s just a huge unknown.”

She was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma. It was already stage 3.

“There was a lot going on mentally just trying to continue that transition to college and balancing out school and everything,” Tre said. “It was just devastation right away hearing the word ‘cancer’ and never really having to deal with that before.”

The athlete shared the thoughts that flooded his brain were overwhelming.

“It definitely helped me grow up very quickly I’d say,” Tre said. “My entire life was around playing basketball. Once she told me what she had found out, it put everything into perspective. Basketball was no longer my main focus, it was her.”

Debbie told WRAL News she initially wanted to keep the diagnosis within the family but her feelings changed after speaking with Krzyzewski and his staff.

“He had advice and knowledge, but the biggest thing for me was he wanted me to go public. That was such a shock to me,” Debbie said. “I was not expecting to hear that from him.”

The mother said she encouraged her kids to talk about her diagnosis publicly by posting on social media. The result: Support from all over Duke nation came rushing in.

“I just feel like it was a huge weight lifted, in particular off my kids,” Debbie said. “It just kind of opened everything. It allowed them to speak openly, it allowed them to accept support and love and prays and help.”

Tre said coach’s advice meant the world then, and now.

“We had known him at that time for over 5 years just because of the past history with my brother and everything, and he has always shown up for us in so many different ways.”

Tre continued, “It’s tough to even put into words what it truly meant at the time as well. The support he was able to give to us and the advice to help us navigate everything going on in our lives at the time. I think he knew how hard it would be to put this information out, but also he knew how beneficial it would be to us and to my mom to be able to get all the support and all the prayers.”

While the family expresses their thanks, Krzyzewski said the support “wasn’t a reach.”

“We have a very, very close relationship with the Jones family,” Krzyzewski said. “Debbie has been like a member of our family.”

Krzyzewski shared he knows firsthand just how important support is for those battling a diagnosis and their family.

“My mom died of breast cancer, my brother died of cancer, I’ve been one of the board members of the V Foundation for over three decades and I’m on the brain tumor center team here and work closely with the Duke comprehensive cancer center,” he said. “I’ve been on the team fighting cancer for a long time and we’re winning.”

He added, “You beat cancer not by doing it alone. You do it by having a supportive and very positive team around you. Debbie and her sons have always done that.”

Debbie underwent chemotherapy, a double mastectomy and radiation. Her good news came just 10 months after her initial diagnosis: She was cancer-free.

Krzyzewski said he always believed Debbie would come out on top.

“Debbie is a fighter and a winner and the Jones family, they’re fighters and winners,” he said. “I knew she would win because for her, there is no other alternative; same thing for her two sons.”

When asked how Tre would describe his mom, he said “proud.”

“How appreciative of life she is, she definitely values it and just all the change she was able to make and letting us be there to support her instead of the other way around,” Tre said. “Her love for all of us, her love for her three boys, you can’t explain how much it is but it means so much to us.”

Debbie shared her family’s goal is to use their story to encourage others to “be open to help.”

“Trust your body, trust what you know about your body,” Debbie said. “Always go to your appointments, always follow-through and do whatever is needed to make sure you’re getting screened and tested. Early detection is so important.”

She continued, “Don’t be afraid to reach out for help. I am pretty independent and strong on my own, but in those situations, it just makes you realize you don’t need to do things alone. You can be strong, but you can still lean on other people.”

Krzyzewski said he encourages the Jones’ to “just keep being you” while supporting Debbie and everyone battling a diagnosis.

“When you hear the words, ‘You have cancer,’ it knocks you back, sometimes down. We have to be there to pick them up and show them it’s going to be a fight, but we can win the fight,” said Coach K. “The Jones family is the perfect example of that.”

The Jones’ have also become heavily involved with the Susan G. Komen Foundation to further advocate for research, treatment and support efforts.

Source: wral.com