Going to Paris was special, but different from any Olympics I’ve been to before, because my husband, Pat, has battled cancer this year. I’ve talked about how Pat’s journey has motivated me — he was diagnosed with rare, stage 4 lung cancer at age 30 — but what most people don’t know is how it affects our entire team. I’m going through this with him, but my team is going through this too — as teammates and friends.

Pat has played our sport in college, so he knows what’s going on. I see the admiration my teammates have for him, and they see his passion and excitement for water polo. He gave an inspiring speech to our team, and I think it has a lot to do with the way we’ve played, competed and competed in Paris so far. My teammates have said that if Pat was battling cancer, they could swim one more lap or work a little harder. When they make comments like that, it makes it worth it — to be here. While sports are great, when life throws something at you like a cancer diagnosis, everything else seems a little less important. But we’re all inspired by him, and I’m happy he’s a part of our process. Now that we’re here, it’s time for me to play for him and show the world what this team has done and prove to myself that I can do hard things.

I got a chance to show my husband around the Olympic Village. I wanted to take him there because living there is so unique and you don’t get to see that unless you’re on an Olympic team. My favorite part is the apartments you live in with other Team USA athletes. Consistent with previous Olympics, you get to be in the same building with the best athletes from your country, cross paths and bond. To me, the respect you get from other athletes is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. And when you walk out of your Team USA building, you see athletes from every country competing in so many different sports, all in the same area. Not everyone speaks the same language, but we all came here to the Olympic Games. The first question people ask each other is, “Hey, do you want to trade badges?” Then they say, “What sport do you play?”

Just that simple exchange connects the world in so many ways. My coach says the Olympics are a great demonstration of world peace because everyone is in the same area, getting along and inspiring each other. But we’re also competing against each other. It’s great to see the teams you play against, but I’m glad I don’t have to see them all the time.

There’s a lot of energy in the village – even before the opening ceremony you can feel the excitement from the other athletes. But we have a sports psychologist who does a great job of keeping our minds in the right place. If you let the expectations or that external energy get too big, it can consume you and not allow you to play your game the way you know how to play. We keep reminding ourselves that we’ve been playing water polo since we were kids and it’s no different than being in the Olympics. We know what we have to do and we just have to go out and do it. We want to win gold. But we can’t let that energy take over and distract us from our game.

For me, to keep my mind in the right place, I tell myself that it’s just a game of water polo and I know how to play. I’ve seen teams completely collapse or collapse under pressure. Everyone is here to win and you can’t go in with any expectations. That’s just reality.

I’ve experienced the Olympic Village in Rio and Tokyo, but it can still feel chaotic. There are so many people and so much going on in the cafeteria, but our team mostly hangs out together so it’s not as overwhelming. But I feel bad for new people who are doing this for the first time. It can be a lot to get used to and take in for the first few days.

Speaking of the cafeteria, have you heard of the brownies? They’re really good. They’re really good. Everyone eats them for dessert or just as a treat. It’s also been fun to watch parts of the experience spread on social media. There was a Norwegian swimmer who shared TikToks about his passion for brownies. And my teammate made a funny TikTok about the Olympic badge trading game, because that’s his passion. As for me, I just focused on Pat and playing games. However, the brownies are pretty awesome. And I have a favorite village café that prints photos from your phone into your coffee foam. It’s a photo of your dog or the Eiffel Tower, anything goes. Pat and I printed our photos into our coffee, which was fun. Biking is new this year, but I don’t want to fall and hurt myself, so I just walk. But there are people biking near the river with beautiful views of the sunset, which is fun.

What surprised me the most about the Olympics was playing in different venues. We moved to a new, even bigger swimming venue for the quarterfinals, so it was a whole new experience. Also, the venues were a lot louder than I expected, which makes it very hard to hear what your teammates are saying in the water. Luckily, I’ve been playing with them for years, so I can understand. Whatever the environment is, it’s the environment, and we have to keep playing.

Mostly, I’m just grateful that Pat is doing so well now. Just the fact that he’s out here moving, going to events and having more fun than we thought is a bonus. When he goes through treatment, it can wear him out, but he’s so energetic and excited, so that’s a win in itself.

This interview has been edited.