'What kept us going was his strength'

When your father is known for his never-ending belief that life is good and as the guy who starts every week with a trip to something called the “positivity pole,” outdoing his positive spirit might seem like a long shot.

But six months ago, Mayson Quartlebaum did just that.

And it saved his life.

To understand how Mayson, the son of longtime KU basketball director of operations, Fred Quartlebaum, achieved that unlikely feat, you first have to go back to last June, when he was just about to wrap up an amazing study abroad program in Spain with a weeklong hike on a portion of the 500-mile Camino de Santiago trail.

Three days before the trek was to begin, while Mayson was brushing his teeth, he noticed an unusual lump near his neck and shoulder blade that immediately made him think something wasn’t right.

A quick call home to his mom, Christy, a labor and delivery nurse, led him to an Emergency Room in the heart of Spain, where he understood very little, could read even less and was starting to get a little worried.

“I speak Spanish OK, but I’m by no means fluent,” he said. “So that was a challenge. The doctors spoke Spanish. My paperwork was in Spanish. It was tough. But we were able to figure it out.”

Sort of.

After an examination, the doctors he saw in Spain told him the lump, which had the shape of a can of tuna, was probably nothing. But his mother’s instincts told him otherwise, and Mayson was encouraged to get back to Lawrence as soon as he could.

That meant no hike. A long flight. And a whole bunch of questions and concerns. He felt healthy. He felt no pain. And he, too, figured he was probably OK.

“It all happened so fast and I don’t think I had time to really think about it too much,” he told R1S1 Sports. “I’m not really the type to overthink things, but I didn’t know what was going on. I was mostly bummed I had to miss the rest of the trip and that hike.”

Mayson, 22, also did what doctors always tell you not to do, Googling his symptoms on Web MD. That was the first time he found out he could be dealing with something cancerous.

He was right.

After visiting with doctors at Lawrence Memorial Hospital in mid-July, he learned that he had early-stage Hodgkins Lymphoma.

Just like that, this monster athlete in peak physical condition and the prime of his life was facing something unfathomable.

“It all happened so fast and was such a surreal thing that I didn't, like, cry or anything and I wasn't overly sad about it. I just remember thinking, ‘Damn, this is kind of crazy,’” Mayson recalled of the initial diagnosis.

At that point, it was time to prepare his mind for a fight. Not one for a rebound or a tough bucket, like he did at Lawrence High until he graduated in 2020 or during his college career at Kennesaw State and Missouri-St. Louis, but one for his future.

But, first, a Miller Lite.

“They told me I wasn’t going to be able to drink alcohol while I was doing treatment, so I sat down with my dad on the couch and had one last beer before we jumped in,” Mayson said.

Fred called the moment they shared a cold one “surprising,” given that it came right after the cardiologist had mapped out the battle ahead. But it was also symbolic.

“What impressed our family most was his unshakeable spirit,” Fred told R1S1 Sports. “Even in the toughest moments, he faced it all with courage, grace, and a refusal to be defined by the diagnosis. Mayson didn’t just fight — he lived through it. He kept showing up daily with heart, humor and grit. That kind of strength is rare.”

Every other Monday, for 3-4 hours at a time, Mayson reported to LMH for his chemotherapy treatments.

He said the day of treatment was usually OK. Fatigue seemed to hit a couple of days later and lingered for a couple of days.

While the exhaustion wasn’t fun — getting winded walking up stairs, trouble getting out of bed, his arm getting tired while brushing his teeth — it also helped him appreciate the little things in life on the days he felt fine.

He always struggled with slowing down. After all, this was a college athlete who was used to living life 100 miles an hour and weeks away from planning to commission into the United States Army.

But he knew that he had to play by the new rules if he wanted to live out all of those dreams he had for his future. So, he did.

“It was the hardest thing our family ever had to witness,” Fred said. “As parents, you’re wired to protect your child from pain, and this was something we couldn’t fix or take away. What kept us going was his strength.”

Mayson’s older brother, Trey, who also played college basketball and now is back working in KU’s Athletic Department agreed.

“He made it easier for us,” Trey said. “He kind of had a plan for what he wanted to do, was set on it, and an obstacle came in the way and he just took it on the chin and kept moving. Him still being able to laugh and joke around and keep it light was important for all of us.”

As with almost every issue the Quartlebaum family had ever faced, Fred said mindset was everything.

“As a family, we decided early on that we were going to face this with hope, faith and fight,” Fred said. “That didn’t mean we ignored the fear — but we didn’t let it take over. We leaned into gratitude, we celebrated the little wins, and we never gave up on believing Mayson would get through it.”

Mayson didn’t either. In fact, he tried to live as normal of a life as possible during his treatment.

He got a job working at his lifelong friend’s sneaker shop, Elevate, on Mass Street in Lawrence. And he tried to keep as much “normalcy” in his life as possible, with friends, family, whoever.

One thing that really aided that was having his brother Trey home with him during the process. After both heading off to college and taking different paths, there they were, back home in their childhood rooms, talking, laughing, living through long nights together.

“After going to school and being apart for some years, being back and together, all of us, during that time was incredible,” Trey said.

When his treatment process finally reached its end, Mayson, who also remains heavily involved with Team IMPACT as a fellow with that organziation, said his participation in the traditional bell ringing ceremony in the halls of LMH that signifies a successful journey was something he won’t forget.

“It was a really cool experience,” he said. “My family was there, a few other people, and having my nurses there and being able to celebrate with them was really cool. Because they were a big part of getting me through it.”

Not long after that, he realized that, one of the silver linings of the setback was that it gave him a chance to use his final year of college eligibility to finish out his basketball career.

With his plans to join the Army on hold because of the illness deeming him ineligible to enlist, Mayson committed to Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, where he’ll join a young roster that returns 12 players from last season and look to help the team’s frontcourt and bring that classic Quartlebaum fight and spirit to the Tars program.

He still plans to join the Army if he can work his way back to acceptance. And he hopes to fulfill his dream of joining the special forces unit known as the Green Berets, in part because it intrigues him and also to honor his father’s service in the military.

Long before he came to KU, Fred was commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy and fulfilled his 4-year commitment in Annapolis, Maryland, as a men’s basketball assistant coach at the U.S. Naval Academy.

He also taught physical education there and earned the rank of lieutenant before moving on.

His positive energy has always been in his DNA, but it picked up steam during his time in the Navy and it served Mayson better than ever during the past year.

“Throughout my whole life he’s always been super-positive. Sometimes people say he’s a little bit too positive. But he was in there with me always trying to cheer me up and keep me going. That’s not to say he didn’t have his times where he was worried, but he did a great job of never letting me see him like that.”

For months, Mayson wanted to keep his story quiet and go through the journey without letting the world know. By his own acknowledgement, he’s not a real “look at me” type of personality.

But he recently changed his opinion on that when it occurred to him that sharing his story, and the pains and successes that came with it, might help someone else get through theirs.

“If there’s one thing I’d tell anybody going through something like this it would just be to try to appreciate the little things and don’t take them for granted,” he said. “It also really helped me to understand that everything’s temporary, good or bad, so there’s no real reason to add stress or overthink things because you’re gonna have to go through it regardless. So, just try to do it with the best attitude that you can. It definitely makes the experience a little better.”

Added Fred: “I witnessed the incredible strength and resilience a person can rise to when faced with life’s toughest challenges. Mayson didn’t just endure, he fought, and that kind of strength redefines what toughness really means and you learn what truly matters — health, family, love and time.

“We are beyond proud and excited as a family that Mayson is continuing his journey at Rollins College, pursuing both his education and his passion for basketball. And the possibility of him one day joining the United States Army is another level of courage and service we’re honored to support.”

— For tickets to all KU athletic events, visit kuathletics.com