Weber State graduate student Johanna Simon and Kara Oliver, battling Ewing sarcoma, a rare, aggressive form of bone cancer primarily afflicting children and young teens, were named top-5 finalists for the 2026 “Teammate of the Year” award presented by Team Impact.

Team Impact tabs one of its player-patient duos each year with its annual award. Oliver nominated Simon, originally from Darmstadt, Germany, and now pursuing her master’s of education at WSU, for the honor last year.

“(Simon) is the first to check in when Kara has appointments and scans and we are so grateful to have her show Kara so much love and care,” said Kara’s mother, Heather Oliver. “She never leaves out my son either. She loves being with our family and will happily play with Grayson, too. She has cheered Kara on at her lacrosse games and been there for Kara’s special occasions, too.”

Kara and Simon were introduced to each other for the first time during Kara’s first-ever visit to one of the team’s practices roughly a year ago.

Photo supplied, Team Impact

“I remember the first time I saw Kara when she walked into practice — that was probably a year ago — we were just going through our routine,” Simon said. “She’d walked in and was super scared and a little nervous so I was like, ‘OK, let’s just be the first happy face she sees,’ so I just walked up to her and introduced myself and after two minutes I’d asked if she wanted to walk and see the stunts a little bit better, and then she grabbed my hand.”

A couple of months after her first visit, Kara, who’d just finished up her treatment, and her family hosted a star-raising ceremony to signify the end of a long, stressful treatment plan. After multiple friends and family members neglected to show, Simon and the Wildcats showed up.

It brought a smile to Kara’s face but hit her mother especially hard.

“They all showed up for us, and at that point we’d only been on the cheer team for two months,” Heather Oliver said.

“To have all of them come to support that special, little celebration was honestly life-changing to see these young adults show up for a kid they just met. It’s beautiful to see them sacrificing their time to be part of (Kara)’s life.”

Photo supplied, Team Impact

Kara signed to become an official member of the WSU spirit squad in May 2025. She’s currently resuming school at Cosgrove Memorial in Salt Lake City after missing much of the second grade.

As April and summer break nears, the Olivers continue visiting the Wildcats in Ogden around twice a month, Heather Oliver said. Simon, finishing her second degree, will remain at WSU and plans to continue working closely with the Oliver family and the cheer team next semester.

“I feel like our bond just started growing and it was decided that I’d be the person she’d always go to first,” Simon said. “I’m from Germany, and I’d worked with disabled people while I was in school and I coached a lot of little kids. But, I’ve never been in a situation where I’d have to deal with sickness like that. At the end of the day, I know that she just wanted to be treated the same – we’re all human.”

Readers can support Kara’s recovery via the family’s official GoFundMe page.

Connect with sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.