Cancer won’t stop her

Times Reporter

 

One Carseland teen didn’t hesitate when her wig and hat flew off during her opening ride on her horse, Pickin. Kaylynn Malmberg, 19, took part in the North American Young Riders’ Championships in Lexington Kentucky July 28 to August 1.  

Malmberg has been battling a cancerous anaplastic ependymoma brain tumor, and had just undergone her second surgery on July 13; her first surgery was on March 17. Malmberg left for Kentucky not long after her second surgery, arriving just before the championships.  

“I’ve been doing it (performing) for four years now but I have been riding my whole life,” said Malmberg. 

The championships are just a step below the World Equestrian Games. The best riders in the continent head out to show off their horsemanship and riding skills. For many people losing their wig and hat would stop them for a minute or two, but not Malmberg. 

“I thought about it for two seconds but I was riding for Alberta and my team so I wasn’t going to quit,” said Malmberg. 

She came home with the second place ribbon in the ‘welcome ride’ and the Alberta team took home the gold. Her team also took first and third place in the ‘welcome ride.’

“Our Alberta team won gold, so that was a huge accomplishment,” said Malmberg. 

For more than a year and a half Malmberg has been fighting brain cancer and is currently doing radiation therapy when chemotherapy didn’t work. 

“There were struggles along the way, but we just took it one day at a time. Courage, strength and plain cowgirl attitude couldn’t keep Kaylynn out of the saddle for long,” said Lorna Malmberg, Kaylynn’s mom. 

“The team members played a big role in letting Kaylynn know that they stood behind her no matter what happened. Community, friends and family helped us along the way and we would not of been able to do this trip and fight this cancer without them,” said Lorna. 

Kaylynn still has one more surgery left to go and is set to finish with radiation on September 21. Because of the location of the tumor, surgeons were unable to remove it all in the first surgery. When it grew again they went back in and removed what they could again. 

It was her first time taking part in the championships, but performing is something she plans to keep doing. She has already begun talking about next year’s competition, amazing her family with her strong will. One day we may see her name at the World Equestrian Games.