901 FC support fan battling cancer

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - If you’ve ever been to a Memphis 901 FC game, chances are you’ve seen Magan Hall, her husband Alex and their 10-year-old son Loxley, loudly cheering for 901 as a part of Bluff City Mafia, the club’s official support group.

The Halls’ pictures from AutoZone Park show a family that loves soccer, enjoying some of their happiest moments together. But, the pictures don’t show the battles the Halls have fought, and the ones they still face.

Magan has melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. She battled, and thought she beat it four years ago, but she learned it had returned two weeks ago. One of the hardest parts for Magan was having to tell her son.

“I cried for about five straight days. It was a wave of emotions," Magan said. "I think he knew something was going on, so Alex told him, and he was really really upset about it obviously. I got home that night, and he just hugged me for a very long time and told me that, ‘it was going to be ok,’ and that ‘he wasn’t even worried about it, because there was no other option.’”

Unlike her first battle with melanoma, Magan is now willing to tell others about it as she prepares for her second battle. Back then, she didn’t want to be a burden, and felt “embarrassed.” But, because of her involvement with Bluff City Mafia, and her friendship with 901 FC players like Jochen Graf, Magan wants to fight her cancer with the support of people she calls her “extended family.”

The Halls’ launched a GoFundMe page recently to raise money for medical costs. With the help of 901 FC, and another friend, Memphis native Zach Myers, from the band Shinedown, the donations are starting to pour in.

“I had always felt really awkward about telling everybody, and it’s crazy, amazing, and they’ve been so supportive," Magan said. “Knowing there’s people that actually care makes me want to kick myself for not telling anybody last time, because it was awful trying to do it by yourself.”

“That’s what we’re about," said 901 FC head coach Tim Mulqueen. "We’re a family, and we preach it, and we try to walk the walk. We’re there for her. We want to help in any way possible.”

That help is giving Magan and her family peace of mind they didn’t have the first time around. With a list of medical bills still left to pay, her family is grateful they’re receiving help from all over the world.

“Just knowing that I’ll be able to pay my bills, and not have try to rush to work when I feel terrible. I did that last time, the whole time," Magan said. “I would sit hooked up to a machine for three hours, and be so tired and sore, and rush to work and put on a happy face, because I didn’t want us to struggle. It really has lifted our spirits through the roof.”

Magan will begin her treatments on July 24. She doesn’t know how her body will handle it this time around, but she does know she’s not battling alone. Thanks to 901 FC and her Bluff City Mafia family.

You too can help Megan and her family by clicking here.

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