There’s determination and bravery, and then there are Rebekah Stott levels of determination and bravery. 

One of the W-League’s most fearsome and respected defenders, New Zealand international Stott was riding high at his time last year: joining the waves of Antipodean players making their wave to Europe when she signed with Brighton & Hove Albion for the 2020-21 FA Women’s Super League season.

However, she was forced to cut her adventure short in early 2021, revealing to the world in March that she had been diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin's Lymphoma and that she was set to undergo six cycles of an aggressive chemotherapy regime in Melbourne. 

Receiving an outpouring of support as she underwent her treatment, Stott subsequently displayed equal parts determination and positivity throughout her cancer journey; resolving to inspire others through her own experiences and helping to raise funds and awareness through the World’s Greatest Shave and under her own Beat it By Stotty brand. 

Returning to the football field with FC Bulleen Lions in the local Victorian leagues in July, Stott has re-signed with Melbourne City for the coming W-League season and now, in full remission has her sights firmly set on the 2023 Women’s World Cup and Paris 2024. 

Joining Beyond the Lead, she spoke with ESPN’s Joey Lynch -- a fellow Hodgkin’s Lymphoma patient -- to discuss her reflections and lessons from her cancer experience, her return to the pitch and for plans on and off the field.

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