Forever Huskies: Teammates Come Together To Support Amy Carr, '14
By Tony Scott
Amy Carr, '14, far right, with friends, left, Devin Bond, '14, and, middle, Courtney Ksiazek, '14 at Wembley Stadium in London.
This is a story about a group of Huskie women's soccer alumni rallying around one of their teammates despite a great geographical distance and a decade away from their time at NIU.
It’s a story about Amy Carr, ’14, a former NIU soccer star who is undergoing a fierce battle against an unrelenting and nasty opponent, and is doing it with dignity, strength and that trademark Huskie grit.
Before Carr graduated from NIU, she suffered a seizure that was innocently thought of as brought on by an extreme fear of spiders. But nearly two years later, after further seizures, she was diagnosed with a golf ball-sized glioblastoma tumor in her brain.
In July 2015, two surgical specialists conducted a 10-hour-long surgery to remove the tumor. This was followed by 12 days in the hospital, six weeks of radiotherapy and six months of chemotherapy.
For nine years, Carr was able to live her life essentially cancer-free, but in December of 2024, doctors informed her that her cancer had returned.
This past summer, after exploring treatment options, Carr was given a prognosis of between six and nine months to live. Carr, fueled by her fierce Huskie determination, is not going down without a fight.
“I, as always, aim to defy the odds,” she said. “I've arranged my finances and donated my brain for research. I've treated my family and friends to surprise trips. I'm in the process of arranging my funeral and wake for which I've asked the NIU girls for their funny stories of our time at Northern together, and they've not disappointed.”
The NIU girls. Her teammates from her days playing for the NIU Women’s Soccer team. They have been in Carr's corner for the duration of her battle.
“There is a core group of us that played with Amy who sent her a care package when we found out that she had another tumor; don’t worry, we included some NIU gear in there,” said teammate Mo Smunt, ’11. “We have sent her videos, messages, and have set up Zoom meetings to show our support. We just want Amy to know how much we love her and that we are here for her, even if it is from far away.”
Smunt said the most recent Zoom gathering included around 20 teammates from around the world to be there for Carr, who lives in England.
“People made it happen because of the impact Amy had on each of our lives,” she said. “Amy lives with love and laughter, and it is contagious. Things haven’t been easy, but Amy has been a bright light to everyone around her through it all. She has been there for all of us, so the least that we can do is be there for her.”
Meeting Amy
Smunt was a senior when she met Carr.
“I was one of the captains and she was one of the 11 freshmen,” Smunt said. “My first impressions: a thick English accent that I could barely understand, sarcastic, funny, competitive and a stud in goal. She ended up being the starting goalkeeper as a freshman.”
Courtney Ksiazek, '14, was impressed with Carr's ambition.
"It was evident Amy was a great competitor and achieved a lot with her various teams before coming to NIU," she said. "She definitely elevated the game by having her on the field. She is also such an ambitious person, coming to school so far away from home. Looking back, I don’t think I could have done that at such a young age! But she was into hanging with friends and our teammates and building close friendships off the field."
Like Ksiazek, Cori Frankenberg, ’14, met Carr as a fellow freshman joining the soccer team.
“We went through our first intense preseason together,” Frankenberg recalled. “Amy set the tone right off the bat on how to lead by example and what hard work looks like. She had this beautiful ability back in college to royally push you while still remaining so damn loveable!”
When Shelbi Vergauwen, ’13, first met Carr, she noticed the freshman’s work ethic, and her sense of humor.
“She showed up ready to work, which for a freshman said a lot,” Vergauwen said. “She came in hungry to earn a spot on the field. She was good at motivating others, but led with her presence rather than being loud. She also had us all laughing from the get-go with her accent and what she would call basic things in America, such as a shopping cart, also known as a trolley.”
Haley Cummings, ’16, M.S. ’18, said Carr is “the toughest person I know and has always been tenacious and a go-getter.”
“She graduated after my freshman year but stayed on as a coach for a bit,” Cummings said. “She was always pushing me to get more fit, work harder, and be the best version of myself I could be on and off the field. I appreciated her support, and I was lucky enough to get to see her play soccer professionally in Norway, where she took that same attitude.”
From the UK to NIU
Carr was born in St Albans and raised in Hemel Hempstead, both cities north of London.
She played soccer for many years in youth and teen leagues before coming to the U.S. to play at NIU. This included representing England in the U-17 Women’s National Team, playing in Holland, Georgia, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic for the European Championships, followed by six weeks in New Zealand at the 2008 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. For the U-19 Women’s National Team, she played in Slovenia for the 2009 U-19 European qualifiers,
The following year, she began at NIU after choosing the Huskies over the University of South Florida. She had actually planned to play at Ole Miss, but the team’s goalkeeper decided to stay on, she said. She was recruited to NIU by Carrie Barker, who coached her during her first two seasons. John Ross coached the team during her final two years.
Carr was impressed by NIU’s facilities and the way the players were treated.
“I loved the way we were treated as student-athletes,” she said. “That was new to me. We had facilities that professional athletes could only dream of in the UK.”
While it was a challenge for her teammates to get used to her different playing style and terminology, they made her feel right at home, she said.
“During my international career, I learned a lot about how to take charge of not just my defense, but the entire team in terms of shape, style, movement with and without the ball,” she said. “It was a way for me to stay in the game even when the opposition goalkeeper had the ball. Slowly the team got my language and terminology, although it did take a while with some girls turning and asking, ‘What does that even mean?’”
Following her graduation, she continued to play soccer, signing on to the Idrettslaget Sandviken soccer club in Norway. She credits an NIU coach for helping her with that journey.
“Post-NIU I knew I wanted to play at least another year abroad,” she said. “I explored Australia and Europe. Connor McKee, John Ross's goalkeeper coach, helped me with my highlights at NIU, and I sent it out to literally every coach I could get email addresses for, Sandviken being one of them.”
Seizures, Then a Diagnosis
It was during her time at NIU, at home in England on break in May 2013, when Carr first exhibited signs that something was not quite right with her health.
“I'm petrified of spiders, so I called my Mum to come to get a big black one out of my bathroom while I retreated to my bedroom,” she said. “Next thing I saw was paramedics standing over me. Long story short, I had no follow-up diagnostic testing, as I thought it was just a severe fear of spiders.”
She played her senior year without any issues, but eighteen months after that first seizure, she had another incident where she lost consciousness, this time while in Illinois visiting friends and planning to visit Nebraska to join a team as a goalkeeper coach.
In February 2015, she had a third seizure and requested an MRI scan.
Amy Carr, '14, center, flanked by her parents, mother Daryl and father David.A Quiet But Strong Leader
Her fellow Huskies are inspired by Carr's strength and ability to continue to thrive, despite her challenges.
“Amy embodies what it means to be resilient,” Frankenberg said. “She continuously strives to not only better herself, but those lucky to know her. Her strength, accompanied by her humorous candor, is a captivating combination. There is simply no one like The Amy Carr.”
Vergauwen described Carr as having a strong, yet quiet presence that is uniquely hers.
“She inspires me to listen more and take note of those who are quieter,” she said. “When she was first diagnosed years ago, she beat the odds. I think that's because of her competitive side; she's always a fighter but never lets it get her down. You hear people say that about others going through a tough time, but for her, she really takes it head-on.”
Like Vergauwen, Smunt said Carr wasn’t the loudest on the team, but she inspires others through her own actions.
“Once she has a goal, she is very dedicated and committed,” Smunt said. “After she had her first brain tumor removed, she recovered and worked her butt off in the gym. She started doing marathons and triathlons. She has raised a lot of money for brain tumor research through marathon fundraising as well as friendly soccer matches with other professional women’s soccer players.”
Ksiazek said, "Amy is inspiring because she doesn’t see limitations. She fights harder for what she cares about more than anyone else. Her deeply rooted commitments to herself have made her achieve such great things."
Lifting Up Others
While at NIU, Carr would typically go back home to England during winter and summer breaks. However, in 2012, she volunteered one summer in Cape Town, South Africa, at a school for underprivileged children where she taught students English and physical education.
“Their outlook on life was eye-opening and refreshing,” she said. “I was able to bring Huddersfield Town A.F.C. shirts out for 15 of them, and they didn't have a clue who or even where Huddersfield was, but it didn't stop them kissing the badge and getting so excited at their new shirts.”
Following her initial round of cancer treatments in 2015, as is true to her spirit, Carr was inspired to help others.
“The combination of therapies was at best ‘not pleasant,’” she said. “I made it my goal to not let anyone else go through what I had.”
So, Carr earned her personal training certification and, by 2018, had earned a cancer rehabilitation qualification.
“I can now proudly say that I've helped a fair number of people who've been unfortunate enough to find themselves in a similar position to me,” she said.
Carr has also raised around $28,000 supporting brain cancer research by completing three half-marathons, 13 triathlons, one half Ironman, hosting a charity soccer match and completing five marathons in different parts of the United Kingdom.
“Not too bad for a goalkeeper who couldn’t run a mile,” she joked.
After Carr learned her cancer had returned last December, her Huskie grit and determination raised their stubborn head again.
“I hadn't completed my last marathon,” she said. “So, I just about managed to train for it. I couldn't control myself, so I had to run headfirst into bushes or wrap myself around lamp posts, and I fell over twice as I was shuffling rather than running. But I did it easily. Six days later, I even completed my first and last Tough Mudder event.”
Frankenberg says others can learn from Carr’s resilience.
“If there is anything people can learn from Amy, it’s how to find the light through any storm,” she said. “Cherishing your time with loved ones is something she’s always done, and a humbling reminder for us who may forget to live in the moment. There is an army of support around her, one that was built by the joy she has instilled in others – something that is worth aspiring to.”
Carr is taking it day by day, visiting with friends and family, and traveling, recently preparing to go on a cruise to Italy.
“It’s the one place I've never been to; it's been on my bucket list for years,” she said. “After that, who knows?”
Amy Carr's fight is a powerful reminder of the strength within every Huskie. To help inspire discovery and empower student success at NIU, visit niuforward.com.