While mulling over her overseas decision, Vandersloot was weighing her WNBA options - which led to another talk with her mom. Fenerbahce, a Euroleague powerhouse, understood the guard's personal situation and that gave her the confidence to commit to going. Another opportunity arose in Turkey, where she spent the early years of her overseas career. Vandersloot had planned to play during the offseason in Hungary, signing before her mom's diagnosis. She went home and spent five months in Washington with her family, helping her dad care for her mom by making sure Jan did her exercises and taking her to cancer treatment appointments.

Vandersloot wasn't sure she even wanted to play abroad because of her mom's illness.

She wasn't going to go back to Russia because of the detainment of Brittney Griner and the country's war against Ukraine.

Vandersloot, who had played overseas in Russia during the WNBA offseason, wasn't sure what she would do last winter. On the court, Vandersloot turned to mom for more career advice - at home and abroad. “The look on her face when I walked in, she had no idea I was going to be there. I needed that, she needed that,” Vandersloot said. Once she arrived, Vandersloot had to sneak into her mom's hospital room due to COVID protocols, which restricted visitation to one visitor at a time, and her dad was constantly by his wife's side. After the finale in Phoenix, Vandersloot flew home. Vandersloot decided to wait until the Sky played their last seven games of the regular season to return to Washington to visit her mom. There were so many unknowns that was the hardest part.” It felt like we were always playing catch-up. “She was in the hospital right away and we didn’t get a chance to game plan. “The more I talked about it and learned about it, I realized this affects people you know,” Vandersloot said. There is currently no cure for the cancer Jan Vandersloot has, but medical advancements have helped people live with it. She was ridiculously positive and strong and that helped me a lot.” “It was heart-wrenching to hear that from your person. “You try to be strong,” Vandersloot said.

It helped that Jan, who declined to be interviewed for this story but has always been Courtney's rock, was in a good mindset. Vandersloot, 34, struggled with the news.

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