Hailey Whittaker (S), the new men’s assistant water polo coach at Yorba Linda High School and a swim coach for the EAST club team, is fighting cancer. On June 7, 2025, just before graduation, Hailey learned she had stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer that starts in the lymphatic system, which is a part of the body’s immune system, and can spread to organs like the lungs, liver, or bone marrow (cancercenter.com). “I found out about my cancer through an MRI for a shoulder injury I had been dealing with for a while,” she explains. “The journey has definitely been the hardest thing I have ever had to do, but I am blessed to be surrounded by people who support me so strongly.”
Hailey, at 18 years old, had planned to study in Italy and start at the University of Tennessee. Instead, the summer became full of doctor visits and chemotherapy. “I love to win,” Hailey said, “so I have brought the same attitude into my battle with cancer. On hard days, I remind myself that I will not lose to this disease and that I will beat it.” Hailey revealed that it has not stopped her from doing things she enjoys. “I have been able to use exercise and moving my body as an escape from everything going on, just like I would’ve before. [J]ust being an athlete.”
To help Hailey and raise money for research, the YLHS and EAST communities formed Team Built Hailey Tough and joined the UC Irvine Anti-Cancer Challenge. The main event is a 5K walk or run on October 11, 2025, at UC Irvine. Funds support early cancer research and clinical trials. About this activity, Hailey expressed that it “means the absolute world to me to see how many people have come together to support me. I do not think that I could be doing this without everyone by my side.”
Friends and family posted messages on Hailey’s fundraising page. Christy Whittaker, Hailey’s mother, shared that her family learned of the diagnosis two days before graduation and that plans for Italy and fall college were postponed. As Christy wrote on the page, “We received news no parent ever wants to hear.” She added that the family is hopeful and thankful for the care from UCI doctors.
Local coaches, teachers, and students have donated and signed up to walk or run. Kat Wilson wrote on the team page that “everybody loves Hailey” and called her family. Samantha Wilson, a close friend of Hailey, said, “Cancer is tough, but my bestie’s even tougher. She’s got this—she’s Hailey.”
Hailey’s athletic past is part of her strength. She was named Athlete of the Year in high school, a Division II Swimming CIF Champion, a California State qualifier in swimming, and played flag football and water polo at the League. She commented that she “played all my sports [her] senior year with cancer and didn’t even know it.”
She says the same drive that made her a strong athlete helps in the fight. “I love to win, so I have brought the same attitude into my battle with cancer,” she said. Hailey urges others facing illness to “find a support system and to use them, and that mindset is everything.” She also wants to communicate to those people and stresses that “you are inevitably going to have hard days, and that is okay, and that even when everything is going wrong and you feel terrible, the good days you have will make up for it.”
As Saturday, October 11, approaches, the school hopes many will join Build Hailey Tough by walking, running, donating, or cheering. The event (UCI Anti-Cancer Challenge) is a way to stand with Hailey and to support research that helps others. Donations, messages, and registration details are listed on Hailey’s team page.
