Alabama bowler shares her battle in debut at USBC Women’s Championships
June 16, 2023
LAS VEGAS – From June 19-25 at the South Point Bowling Plaza, the United States Bowling Congress Women’s Championships will serve as the host to Bowl for the Cure Week, a celebration of survivors and a chance to raise awareness and donations toward the fight against breast cancer.
While the focus during the week will look specifically at breast cancer, the disease as a whole is something that likely has touched most lives in one way or another, through a personal experience or by fighting alongside family and friends as they face their battle.
The bowling community often comes together to help those fighting, too, and that support helped Regina Thorne of Geneva, Alabama, take to the lanes at the 2023 USBC Women’s Championships for the first time in a moment she won’t forget.
Thorne was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2012, and it was something Thorne never could have imagined.
“When I was going through cancer treatment, I didn’t know if I was going to make it a couple times,” Thorne said. “I was so sick, and the cancer hit so hard, because it had gone unchecked for so long. It was the kind of cancer you wouldn’t even know you had unless they put you in a CT scanner. The lymph node tumors were mainly in my stomach area and torso. They were squeezing big blood vessels and cutting off circulation. It made me think I wasn’t going to make it.”
She underwent extensive chemotherapy treatment until 2017 but stopped when she started to experience more health issues.
“I struggled from 2017 until around 2020 with my health because I had port sickness, and they didn’t want to take my chemotherapy ports out due to having a slow-growing stage 4 non-curable cancer,” Thorne said. “My actual cancer is not in remission but rather suppression, but I am doing rather OK since around 2020 when they did take the ports out. I feel like a whole new person.”
With her health making her feel like a new person and her husband of 30 years by her side, they took up bowling in 2020 as a way to stay active and remain positive during the COVID-19 pandemic, which eventually led her to Las Vegas for her first appearance at the Women’s Championships.
The bowling community has kept Thorne going, too, and she is beyond thankful for the constant support from the friends she has made through the sport.
“We took up bowling during COVID and have only been bowling a few years,” Thorne said. “I cannot believe I am actually here at nationals.
“The people, the friendship and the love that you feel. People in the community want to help you with your game, and they always believe you can do more and believe in you more than yourself. There are just so many people out there who are so supportive. I mean, bowling is fun and the challenge of bowling and wanting to learn more and improve, but the people are the icing on the cake for me.”
Thorne works as a nurse and had started working in the intensive care unit in the 1990s in the Nashville area. She never imagined having to go through some of the things that she has seen throughout her career.
Throughout her courageous battle, her career in the health field and the new memories and connections made through bowling, she is fulfilled with everything surrounding her.
“If I don’t live to see another day, I feel like I have had such an excellent life,” Thorne said. “You never know how long you have on this planet. I am here today, and I hope I can be here next year and to come and that nothing changes. But, you never know – you have to be thankful and live in the days that you have.”
In her debut at the Bowling Plaza, Thorne was able to roll to some excellent scores, too. She currently is in the top 10 in Sapphire Singles with a 580 series and in the top 20 in Sapphire All-Events with a 1,566 total for her nine games.
Bowl for the Cure is sponsored by USBC, in partnership with Susan G. Komen, and serves as a year-round fundraising and breast cancer awareness initiative that helps support research, education, treatment assistance and other community programs.
The 2023 Women’s Championships started April 23 and will conclude July 2. The event will run for 71 consecutive days at the South Point Bowling Plaza and feature more than 4,200 four-player teams and nearly 17,000 bowlers.
Follow updates and more from the official USBC Women’s Championships Facebook page.
While the focus during the week will look specifically at breast cancer, the disease as a whole is something that likely has touched most lives in one way or another, through a personal experience or by fighting alongside family and friends as they face their battle.
The bowling community often comes together to help those fighting, too, and that support helped Regina Thorne of Geneva, Alabama, take to the lanes at the 2023 USBC Women’s Championships for the first time in a moment she won’t forget.
Thorne was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2012, and it was something Thorne never could have imagined.
“When I was going through cancer treatment, I didn’t know if I was going to make it a couple times,” Thorne said. “I was so sick, and the cancer hit so hard, because it had gone unchecked for so long. It was the kind of cancer you wouldn’t even know you had unless they put you in a CT scanner. The lymph node tumors were mainly in my stomach area and torso. They were squeezing big blood vessels and cutting off circulation. It made me think I wasn’t going to make it.”
She underwent extensive chemotherapy treatment until 2017 but stopped when she started to experience more health issues.
“I struggled from 2017 until around 2020 with my health because I had port sickness, and they didn’t want to take my chemotherapy ports out due to having a slow-growing stage 4 non-curable cancer,” Thorne said. “My actual cancer is not in remission but rather suppression, but I am doing rather OK since around 2020 when they did take the ports out. I feel like a whole new person.”
With her health making her feel like a new person and her husband of 30 years by her side, they took up bowling in 2020 as a way to stay active and remain positive during the COVID-19 pandemic, which eventually led her to Las Vegas for her first appearance at the Women’s Championships.
The bowling community has kept Thorne going, too, and she is beyond thankful for the constant support from the friends she has made through the sport.
“We took up bowling during COVID and have only been bowling a few years,” Thorne said. “I cannot believe I am actually here at nationals.
“The people, the friendship and the love that you feel. People in the community want to help you with your game, and they always believe you can do more and believe in you more than yourself. There are just so many people out there who are so supportive. I mean, bowling is fun and the challenge of bowling and wanting to learn more and improve, but the people are the icing on the cake for me.”
Thorne works as a nurse and had started working in the intensive care unit in the 1990s in the Nashville area. She never imagined having to go through some of the things that she has seen throughout her career.
Throughout her courageous battle, her career in the health field and the new memories and connections made through bowling, she is fulfilled with everything surrounding her.
“If I don’t live to see another day, I feel like I have had such an excellent life,” Thorne said. “You never know how long you have on this planet. I am here today, and I hope I can be here next year and to come and that nothing changes. But, you never know – you have to be thankful and live in the days that you have.”
In her debut at the Bowling Plaza, Thorne was able to roll to some excellent scores, too. She currently is in the top 10 in Sapphire Singles with a 580 series and in the top 20 in Sapphire All-Events with a 1,566 total for her nine games.
Bowl for the Cure is sponsored by USBC, in partnership with Susan G. Komen, and serves as a year-round fundraising and breast cancer awareness initiative that helps support research, education, treatment assistance and other community programs.
The 2023 Women’s Championships started April 23 and will conclude July 2. The event will run for 71 consecutive days at the South Point Bowling Plaza and feature more than 4,200 four-player teams and nearly 17,000 bowlers.
Follow updates and more from the official USBC Women’s Championships Facebook page.