Teen softball star dead at 19 after brutal battle with rare form of cancer

A college softball prospect has died at the age of 19 after being diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer shortly before graduating high school.

Reports in Florida claim Kennedy Waymer died from osteosarcoma which, according to the Mayo Clinic, 'begins in the cells that form bones' and typically affects teenagers and young adults.

It is said that Waymer received her diagnosis last year and began treatment in May, 2024. She was put through 19 rounds of chemotherapy and underwent surgery to remove the affected bone.

According to reports, however, Waymer relapsed earlier this year and required two lung surgeries. She died last week.

Following the tragedy, friends and family paid tribute to Waymer, who made the softball team at College of Coastal Georgia despite battling cancer.

In heartbreaking comments to First Coast News, her parents - Ron and Sandra Waymer - described their daughter as 'that happy-go-lucky kid.'

'Even when things weren’t going right for her; she’d always have a smile on her face,' they said. 'God gave her to us for 19 years and God took her back,' her father added.

Waymer's former softball coach, Steve Brown, told First Coast News that her health problems began when she noticed issues with her throwing arm.

'She could usually make the throw from centerfield to home plate with no problem,' Brown explained. 'She threw a ball, and it barely got to second base.'

Waymer would take days off and avoid throwing the ball. 'We had her go see the trainer, and she started rehab, and we thought we were getting healthier,' Brown continued.

But the teenager's issues persisted and soon the doctors diagnosed her with osteosarcoma. Sharla Adams, who played basketball with Waymer on their high school team, called her 'one of the most hard-working people I've ever met.'

'She kept me on track. She was always that friend who got her work done early and made sure you did, too,' Adams told the Florida Times-Union.