Photo Copyright Natalie Mincher for SPP
It started as a stomachache after practice with Tottenham Hotspur FC.
Chioma Ubogagu turned to Spurs defender Amy Turner and attempted to describe it the only way she knew how: “It felt like death.”
Repeating it now in conversation with The Equalizer, she said she’s not one to rush to a doctor, but once she returned home, Ubogagu threw up and knew there was definitely something wrong.
From there, she updated the medical team, called her mother, Tina, who is a nurse, and headed for the ER. Nothing showed in the bloodwork, and after she pushed for further testing, she was met with a harsh reality. Ubogagu, an otherwise healthy, young English footballer, had a mass in her abdomen.
“The way she was looking at me scared me,” Ubogagu said. “It was just a very uncertain diagnosis.”
Several weeks and doctor visits later, Ubogagu and her mother decided it was best to return to the U.S. to her support system. Luckily for her, that included coach Paul Ratcliffe and the top-notch medical team at Stanford, where she had competed as an undergrad.
“All she did was call her coach, and in 24 hours he got this moving,” Tina said. “In 48 hours we were able to see a specialist. Unbelievable. Stanford does not take their students or their athletes for granted at all.”
The final diagnosis was a massive fibroid that had begun to degenerate. So, ultimately, her first description wasn’t far off.
There was also a worrisome cyst on her ovary. A postoperative test showed it was a “borderline tumor,” which made it particularly difficult to diagnose.
She credits her mother and brother Oggy for their diligence in her early days of recovery from Stage 1A ovarian cancer. Oggy even slept on a cot at the hospital to keep a watchful eye on Chioma. The two worked together at home to serve as day and night nurses as she regained strength and confidence.
Now, fully recovered and in remission, Ubogagu completes scans every few months to make sure she remains cancer-free.
“The way I look at the whole thing is like, the fibroid in my stomach that caused me pain was really a blessing to then get these scans because otherwise I never would have known about this growing tumor in my ovary,” Ubogagu said.
And the blessings didn’t stop there.
New league, new opportunity
On July 15, Ubogagu signed with Dallas Trinity FC of USL Super League. The club is set to play at the Cotton Bowl in downtown Dallas as a first-division team.
“Dallas is a huge sports city, so I think there’s been a need for a women’s professional soccer team, especially with women’s sports and the growth that’s been happening,” Ubogagu said. “I think it’s going to be a great fit.”
Even before the diagnosis, Ubogagu was missing Dallas. Drafted by Sky Blue FC out of Stanford, she played four seasons in the National Women’s Soccer League and one with Brisbane of the W-League before crossing the pond for Tottenham.
Want even more women’s sports coverage?
Subscribers to The Equalizer save 50% on their subscription to our partner publication, The IX. This newsletter has experts covering the latest news in women’s soccer, tennis, basketball, golf, hockey and gymnastics. Each sport has its own day, which means you’ll receive The IX in your inbox six days a week.
Born in England and already capped by the Lionesses, Ubogagu seemed like a natural selection for the historic club. And she did well, starting four of her first 10 matches and recording an assist before a shocking suspension ended her season early.
Detailed in her 2022 piece for The Player’s Tribune, Ubogagu says she contacted the team for routine prescription refills when one of the doctors flagged her acne medicine, spironolactone.
The original prescription for spironolactone was written and filled in the United States, where a report from Epic Research and NBC News found that spironolactone made up 47% of all oral medications prescribed to women for acne in 2023. That was a 27% increase from 2017.
However, the substance is banned in the Women’s Super League for diuretic properties and carries a nine-month suspension.
She made it back for just nine games the following season before falling ill.
“My mom always says, ‘What’s meant for you won’t pass you,’” Ubogagu said.
Playing in Dallas is also a chance to reconnect with GM Chris Petrucelli, who recruited her while coaching at the University of Texas. Additionally, Petrucelli coached at Notre Dame, where he won the 1995 national championship, and Southern Methodist. Most recently, he served as coach of the NWSL’s Chicago Red Stars.
Finding joy in the everyday
Seeing how she’s handled the last few years, it’s no surprise that Tina’s first words to describe her daughter are “persistent” and “strong.”
“She never gives up,” Tina said. “Right from when she was born, whatever she sets her mind to do, she sets up goals, and if she doesn’t get it she doesn’t quit.”
And now Ubogagu hopes to pass that attitude along to her teammates as a veteran for Dallas Trinity when the inaugural USL Super League season begins in August. The club’s first home match will be Sept. 7 against DC Power FC. There are eight teams in the league.
She’ll also try to balance her play with a little newfound grace.
“After a hard game or after I maybe don’t train well one day or maybe I’m not starting or maybe I didn’t get in a match, I just think my perspective is going to be so different,” Ubogagu said.
Of course, she’ll have her family along as well, ready to celebrate every step of the journey back.
“She didn’t want her soccer career to end the way it did last year,” Tina said. “She wanted to end it on her terns, so we here are, right behind her, supporting her.”
