Lorna Kearney isn’t your typical 66-year-old.

She’s a business owner, a caregiver, a breast cancer survivor, the oldest woman to play for the Detroit Prowl women’s professional football team, and a soon-to-be Stark State College grad.

“I don’t see too many older students out there, and I think once you get to be my age or older, you think, can I do this?” Lorna said. “No, you’re never too old. Go for your dream.”

Adding new skills to her toolbelt

After getting “bored” during the pandemic, Lorna decided to take online classes at Stark State. For the last four years, she’s been a part-time student working her way toward degrees in chemical dependency and human and social services. She earned a spot on both the President’s and Dean’s List every semester since she started and has maintained a high GPA. Her final class ends in August.

“I worked as a certified occupational therapist for 30 years, and I actually have a private business where I provide in-home caregiving to seniors,” Lorna explained. “My added degree in social work will help me guide these people to whatever resources they need.”

As a non-traditional student, Lorna valued the support she received from her professors. This became all the more important when she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year.

“I still went to class while I was going through breast cancer,” Lorna said. “They worked with me while I went through treatments, a lumpectomy and radiation. They were very understanding. The professors there are just amazing people. They care about their students.”

Making gridiron history

As Lorna made gains in the classroom, she also had the opportunity to make them on the football field. Sports have always played an important role in her life, with Lorna going so far as to say that they saved her while growing up in a dysfunctional family. Her enthusiasm for sport took a new and somewhat unexpected turn when she met a Detroit Prowl football coach and his wife when she was volunteering at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“I knew I was too old to play,” Lorna said. “So, I got on the staff of the Detroit Prowl last year.”

After her breast cancer diagnosis, the coach made her a promise: Finish her treatment, then join her teammates as the oldest women to play for the franchise in a game. When it was time for Lorna to go on the field, her coach told her fellow players not to let anybody hit her. That didn’t sit well with Lorna.

“I said, ‘Look, I didn’t come all this way to just stand on the field and make history. I want to hit the biggest chick on the field,’” Lorna laughed. “So, they played full on, and I leveled the girl out.”

As she prepares to finish up her time at Stark State, Lorna isn’t about to slow down. She has hopes of starting a non-profit that makes dreams come true for those going through breast cancer – or breast cancer survivors. She hopes to play for the Prowl again next season. And she plans on using her degree to better support the clients she serves.

“We all have tough journeys and paths and things we’ve been through. But for me, it’s about being resilient,” said Lorna. “And whatever I’m going through, I just have to remember that I only have today, you know?”