The Duke-North Carolina game is arguably college basketball’s most recognized rivalry.
Tickets are near impossible to get, unless of course your friends with Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
The legendary head coach who has the most wins in NCAA history, heard about the heartbreaking story of Melanie Day thanks to the BYU coaching staff and jumped at the chance to help make her dream a reality for Thursday’s big game against the Tar Heels.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to go the the Duke-North Carolina game,” Day told ABC11. “No one gets tickets to that.”
IT'S GAMEDAY!! ?#HereComesDuke pic.twitter.com/cHaKQbtb3W
— Duke Basketball (@DukeMBB) February 9, 2017
Day, who has stage 4 breast cancer, initially fought off the disease and was diagnosed cancer free back in 2014. But the disease has since returned and is now to the point that it’s terminal.
“I have embraced it,” she said after finding out the news. “Knowing the cards I’ve been dealt and knowing that whatever time I have left, I want to live it to the fullest.”
“If I don’t watch any other game, that’s the game I want to watch,” she added. “Never did I ever think that I would be going to this game!”
Thank you @DukeU I'm so excited to be in Cameron and witness the best rivalry in sports!! https://t.co/JBzjeaPAgK
— Melanie Day (@melaniepday12) February 7, 2017
Day, who played at UCLA before transferring to BYU, got the surprise surrounded by coaches, players, and her family.
It all started when BYU head coach Jeff Judkins wrote a letter to Coach K and explained the situation. After getting the news that Duke was on board, players and coaches on both the men’s and women’s basketball teams at BYU pitched in to help pay for Day’s travel expenses.
Day had no idea what was going on until she was invited back into her old team’s locker room where current players, as well as Day’s husband, watched her react to the announcement.
“I saw my husband pop up his phone and start filming,” Day told the Daily Herald. “That was a red flag because my husband doesn’t film anything. Something must be going on.”
Day hopes to thank Coach K personally on Thursday and hopes the game will come down to the final seconds.
“Duke wins on a last-second shot! That’s my hope and prediction,” she said smiling.
