Love for Tennis Motivates Harvey

Two weeks after undergoing surgery for thyroid cancer, Gloria Harvey was back doing what she loves — playing tennis.

And why wouldn’t she? There’s not much that keeps Harvey, a 51-year-old from Ballwin, down for long. Or off the tennis court.

Harvey has played tennis regularly for the past 14 years, ever since she and a friend decided to give the sport a try at a summer clinic at Ballwin’s Vlasis Park. Harvey now plays for two USTA teams — captaining one of them — and participates in interclub twice a week.

That all could have come to a halt when Harvey was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and required surgery in June 2019. But just two weeks later, there Harvey was competing again.

“As soon as the doctors allowed me to go to regular activity — which is like right after the stitches are out — I got on the court,” Harvey said. “I knew to take it easy. They said to let your body be your guide. I did those drop-in classes; it’s kind of crazy come to think of it. I can’t sit down too long. I’ve got to go play or do something.”

This past October, Harvey was prescribed a second surgery for thyroid cancer. And as was the case with her first operation, Harvey returned to tennis only two weeks post-surgery.

“I would do the things I thought I could do without hurting or pulling anything else,” Harvey said. “I sure wasn’t myself on the court right after the surgeries. It takes a while to get back your speed and everything. With your neck cut open, you can’t really do overheads. I could try a forehand and backhand. I knew overheads were not going to work.”

Harvey had to starve her body of iodine for two weeks after each surgery and before her radioactive iodine treatments, which meant minimal food options. She was then mandated to stay away from people for a three-day stretch upon taking a radioactive pill six weeks after the surgery dates.

With both surgeries in the rearview mirror and most of the cancerous cells out of her body, Harvey said she is feeling great now. Her tennis game has returned to normal, too.

“If I have a bad game, I could use that as an excuse,” Harvey said with a big laugh.

Harvey’s passion for tennis inspired her husband, Darren, and daughter, Natalie, to pick up the sport. Darren competes in a Saturday morning men’s league at Woodsmill Tennis Club. He previously participated in a USTA league and tried World Team Tennis (WTT) alongside his wife.

Natalie — a freshman at Purdue University — was a varsity player for a strong Marquette High School girls’ tennis team. She joins drop-in classes while visiting St. Louis and mixes in with her parents, “because she can show off her skills and beat us,” Harvey said with a laugh.

Though Harvey didn’t grow up playing tennis, she knew she always wanted to learn to play. At her friend’s prompting, the two elected to try their hand at the sport together. At the time, Harvey and her friend did some tap dancing and tried an art class. Harvey and Darren also had previously taken taekwondo lessons for about four years, with both earning black-belt degrees.

Tennis is what ultimately stuck, though. Harvey played once a week at Woodsmill for a couple years before a tennis pro suggested she hit more frequently to ramp up her game. Harvey joined the interclub squad — which she continues to participate in today — and later added the USTA league she’s captained for the past four years. Harvey also tacked on another USTA league a few years back.

“It’s fun to get out there. It keeps me in a good exercise routine,” Harvey said. “I like the geometric angles, making mathematics out of it. I just enjoy it, so I’ve kept playing.”

Though she plays singles as well, Harvey said she prefers doubles and especially enjoys being at the net to poach and cut off angles from her opponents. In doubles, she’s also afforded the opportunity for her optimistic attitude and calming demeanor to rub off on her teammate — and even her opponents, too.

“I always try to make a positive out of everything,” Harvey said. “Even the pros miss. The ball goes into the net, it goes out or someone makes a really good shot because you gave it to them in a good spot. I just tell them, ‘We’re like the pros. They hit it into the net. We just hit it into the net.’ So relax, it’s fine. And if you don’t relax, I’m going to start singing to you and that’s really bad. You don’t want that.”

Harvey plays with and against different individuals almost every week, which she explained strengthens her game as she learns to adapt to various playing styles. One such group of ladies she plays with in the summer features all retirees, while Harvey has seen people play into their 80s.

“I want to do that. I’m going to do that,” Harvey said. “You can’t worry about losing. It is what it is. If you miss a point, just look forward. Never look back. … If you want to try something, just go try it. Don’t worry if you’re going to fail. It doesn’t matter. Just go try it.”

Harvey and her husband plan on one day retiring somewhere warm year-round so they can play tennis, golf and maybe even pickleball. Rest assured that Harvey’s joyful outlook and sense of humor — which helped carry her through a pair of thyroid cancer surgeries — will travel with her wherever she goes.

“[The cancer diagnosis] was not a big deal. I just went about my life the way I wanted to,” Harvey said. “It’s not a death sentence or anything like that. But even if it were, I’d still be going out and playing tennis and doing whatever until my demise. It’s all good. Nothing keeps me down.”