HILLSBOROUGH: Ill aspiring gymnast cheers her heroes at Olympic Games

By Peter Sclafani, Staff Writer
   Many have dreamed of standing on an Olympic podium, being handed a gold medal and hearing the national anthem play.
   The dream, for most, is fleeting. For Keana Werlen, 11, of Hillsborough, though, it may not be out of the question.
   At 9 years old, she captured the New Jersey state championship in gymnastics. With her sights set on reaching even bigger stages, she spent hours upon hours of hard work on the floor, uneven bars and balance beam.
   From the age of 3, Keana has dared to push herself to become the best — until Nov. 16, 2011, at age 11, when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
   Keana had to trade in the gym mats for a hospital bed, the parallel bars for an IV and the balance beam for chemotherapy. What she didn’t lose was her drive to become an Olympian.
   For Keana, the girls on the U.S. gymnastics team are the heroes to whom she has aspired since she was only 3. Through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, she was able to go to London and see the team she has looked up to.
   ”I’ve always dreamed of going to the Olympics as an athlete,” she said, “but now I can even go without being an athlete and just enjoy it with my family.”
   Keana saw the U.S. women make history July 31 when they beat Russia to win the gold in the team competition.
   ”It was really cool to see everyone cheering for their own country,” Keana said. “It was really competitive, and I knew how it felt to win something you have been training so hard for.”
   Keana got to watch her favorite Olympian and gymnast, 16-year-old Gabrielle Douglas, bring home gold for the United States.
   ”She is so energetic,” Keana said. “She has this thing in her that makes you want to smile and jump up and make you want to do the things she is doing.”
   Winning the fight against cancer took more effort than competing in gymnastics, according to Keana.
   ”When you are cancer free, it’s like you have just survived a really big battle,” she said. “Fighting throughout the whole thing takes more than just muscle. You need to have mental strength and physical strength at the same time.”
   Keana had both. Her mother, Estella Werlen, said Keana had a smile on her face even in during the hardest days of treatment. And if keeping a good attitude wasn’t enough, Keana managed to do some gymnastics workouts during her treatment period.
   ”I just thought that if I could get through the treatment, then I could go back to what I was doing,” Keana said.
   Monday was Keana’s first day back in the gym. She is looking forward to picking up where she left off before she was diagnosed almost a year ago.
   She knows that, just like in the fight against cancer, getting to the Olympics will take more than just wishing and hoping for good things to happen.
   The Olympics in Rio de Janeiro are still a few years away, and Keana’s parents say no matter what decision she makes, they will support her. Even though her heroes have always been Olympians, recently Keana has a few other people to whom she has been looking up — her doctors.
   No matter what Keana decides is right for her — whether it is going for Olympic gold in Rio or studying to help beat childhood leukemia — she will always hang on to her competitive spirit.