The story of Stella Liu – Hong Kong national youth player and cancer survivor

• Hong Kong U15 girls' youth representative Liu recounts how she discovered football while receiving treatment
• The speedy midfielder aims for US scholarship as she looks to follow in the footsteps of hero Tobin Heath

Football holds deep significance for cancer survivor Stella Liu. The 14-year-old Hong Kong youth team player recalls sitting on a hospital bed in Shanghai scrolling through as many football videos as her eyes could handle.

"Football's always been there for me," said Liu, a midfielder known for her lightning pace and attacking prowess. "When I was sick, I'd watch every single football show on in China " anything football-related."

The US-born, China-raised Liu was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of five. Liu and her parents had emigrated from Miami, Florida to Guangzhou, before deciding to relocate northeast. That was when everything appeared to go downhill.

"Honestly, I don't remember much. I kept getting sick and we didn't really know why so we went to the doctor one week " right after we moved to Shanghai," she said. "When they first saw me, the doctors there were like 'this kid has leukaemia'. They looked at my symptoms, then I had treatment … chemo for two years. I had to shave my hair and go to the hospital all the time. I missed school for a whole year, but the teachers were really supportive."

Football-mad Liu's first taste of "the beautiful game" came by way of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa; memorable for Andres Iniesta-inspired Spain, Shakira-inspired anthems and, of course, vuvuzela-inspired fans. Having been glued to such an unforgettable edition, her mother bought her a ball and so began the road to recovery.

Liu would be cancer-free three years later. The family had moved to Hong Kong during her last stages of chemotherapy, with treatment ending in 2013. Now in her early teens, Liu wanted to make clear that she does not want a pity party. She has evidently worked her way up without them, representing Hong Kong at U15s and " remarkably " plays with the Hong Kong Football Club U18s women's team.

"I don't really want to use it as a thing for people to feel bad about me," said Liu, who is doing her GCSEs at Harrow International School. "I think the best thing is to keep positive and just be driven. Have a goal and set it for yourself, then work towards that goal."

Liu, who is recovering from a sprained ankle, helped guide wild card team Hong Kong to a respectable fourth-place at the last year's All-China Youth Games in Guangzhou. It was there that she learned that competitive football requires a whole load of grit and vigour.

"It was a (tournament) where sports schools from each major city in China attended, then Hong Kong got invited. We were the odd ones out; every other team was a sports school," recalled Liu, adding that she had aspirations of playing for the United States women's national team (USWNT) as a child. "It was really, really long, longer than any competition (I have experienced). We got really close as a team."

Although she labels her odds of reaching the US-tier of women's football "far-fetched", Liu has certainly been exposed to some of the game's greats. She spent the summer of 2018 training alongside some US national team alumni and brushed shoulders with the likes of USWNT captain Alex Morgan and fan favourite Megan Rapinoe.

"I saw this camp on Instagram called Fantasy Camp so I went to Kansas City and trained with some ex-US national team members," Liu said. "We stayed in this hotel and got to watch the Tournament of Nations (a United States Soccer Federation global invitational) … then we met the players. I kind of got the feel for the US skill level because I've never really played in the US before. They're way more physical, of course, and just have a better all-round mentality."

But infamous World Cup duo Morgan and Rapinoe " although poster girls in their own right " were not the focal players for Liu. She recalled meeting fellow World Cup winner and Olympic gold medallist Tobin Heath in the tunnel post-match.

"I was on the verge of crying and I never cry, but yeah it was emotional," said Liu, adding that she also admires all-time Dutch top-goalscorer Vivianne Miedema.

Having already had that goosebump-inducing moment of meeting your hero at such a young age, Liu is more motivated than ever to earn a football scholarship in the US. Women's football " be it in Hong Kong or across the other pond " is still in its infancy, but she is adamant that the hard work will be duly rewarded.

"My family are really supportive of me, although not the most supporting about playing football," Liu said. "My main goal, or the reason why I keep playing football, is to get into a good university. I'm planning to go to America, and it's a big deal there to have a sport. You can get scholarships, too. I think that's the main reason my mum lets me play."

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