Beat cancer! Beat down cystic fibrosis! CSU’s head coach, Jay Norvell’s wife Kim Norvell, made it possible. Kim Norvell is much more than just the wife of a football coach. She puts a lot of things into perspective with her life. From the start, she makes two things clear: firstly; she is incredibly fortunate. Furthermore, try not to feel sorry for her. 

It is said that “Behind every great man is a strong woman”. But this time, the story is slightly different for Jay and Kim. Here, Jay is the man who stands behind his wife and gives her all the support to battle cancer. Even Kim’s enamored father, Bob Fehrman, said: “I can honestly tell you she’s my hero“. You may wonder why she was called a hero; let us tell you about her treacherous journey.

Kim was born in 1968, she was one of roughly 30.000 Americans with cystic fibrosis (CF), a condition that is typically treated prenatally these days. Doctors said she would probably pass away before entering first grade when she was six months old. She began coughing for an hour every morning in order to clear her airways, and she wore a vest to aid in this process. The fighter that she is, she fought her way through this condition and came out with flying colors.

After her high school graduation, she joined the University of Wisconsin, where she met Jay. Who, after a small stint in the NFL, was working as the assistant coach for the Badgers. They met in 1991 and later tied the knot in 1997. They have a son who is 22 now. When her son was just 5 years, in 2007, she was diagnosed with colon cancer. Her survival was a miracle! Let’s delve deep into it. 

Know more about Jay Norvell’s loving and brave partner

Kim had to have 13 inches of her colon removed as part of her cancer treatment. She went through a lot of pain during her treatment. It was during this treatment she made friends with other cancer patients who were undergoing their treatment with her. The loss of many of those friends left her in agonizing pain. For which, to this day, she carries the survivor’s guilt with her. However, as a coach’s wife, she always made an effort to be brave and advance in life. She always felt to go through all this and make it out. She feels incredibly fortunate and blessed. 

“I feel very fortunate that I’ve lived this long. I sometimes almost feel bad. I’ve lost a lot of friends to CF. A lot–in very painful, hard-to-watch ways.” Kim said. On the other hand, Jay said, “I would not be here at this level or have the opportunity to be a head coach without her,“.

Their bond is a testament to the power of love. To be honest, Kim’s story is nothing short of a Hollywood movie script. The story of a survivor! Jay & Kim are surely a source of inspiration to all of us.