At two years old, a Celiac Sprue diagnosis came to be after a failure to thrive label was handed to my parents. Eventual short stature, among other complications, would be my fate we were told. Yet, we figured out the gluten free diet and I thrived. Then in third grade came another diagnosis. Ironically it was the same year I picked up a volleyball for the first time. This time it was Graves Disease or Autoimmune Hyperthyroidism, another potentially physically limiting condition. Again, my parents worked through a staggering learning curve, and I was thriving once more. Today, against the odds, I am a 6’3’’ Division 1 female volleyball player!! While a Celiac/Graves one-two punch could have taken me out of the game, it has shaped me into a person that doesn’t let much deter me. I know that I have the power to control my diet, take my thyroid medication, listen to my body and stay active. With those choices I control my destiny. I have carried this conviction into every area in my life. I am not a natural athlete, nor am I a naturally gifted student. Yet, I am graduating high school early, Summa Cum Laude, and will be playing Division 1 Volleyball for the Florida State University. I took what I could control; my effort level, my attitude, and my work-ethic, and accomplished much through sheer will, hard work, and determination. Much like turning lemons into lemonade, I have turned a struggle into a strength by taking control of my health and circumstances and developing into my own advocate. As a young person of legal age heading off to college, I am taking a proactive role in my health and the helm from my mother. Celiac and Graves have prepared me in so many ways. I have watched my mom question doctors, juggle appointments, hunt down menus, recipes and ingredient lists and find bread or cupcakes for a last-minute playdate or dinner invitation. I feel well prepared to do the same for myself. Heading into this next season of college, I will be in many unfamiliar situations that I will need to navigate solo like living in an apartment with roommates, communicating with professors about grades or concerns, filling my own prescriptions, managing doctors’ appointments, and staying on a gluten free diet. None of these scare me! Having autoimmune diseases taught me to advocate. While tough diagnoses can be hurdles, they don’t have to be closed doors or even insurmountable walls. Those of us with autoimmune disease don’t have to be derailed as we reach for our dreams.

At two years old, a Celiac Sprue diagnosis came to be after a failure to thrive label was handed to my parents. Eventual short stature, among other complications, would be my fate we were told. Yet, we figured out the gluten free diet and I thrived. Then in third grade came another diagnosis. Ironically it was the same year I picked up a volleyball for the first time. This time it was Graves Disease or Autoimmune Hyperthyroidism, another potentially physically limiting condition. Again, my parents worked through a staggering learning curve, and I was thriving once more. Today, against the odds, I am a 6’3’’ Division 1 female volleyball player!! While a Celiac/Graves one-two punch could have taken me out of the game, it has shaped me into a person that doesn’t let much deter me. I know that I have the power to control my diet, take my thyroid medication, listen to my body and stay active. With those choices I control my destiny. I have carried this conviction into every area in my life. I am not a natural athlete, nor am I a naturally gifted student. Yet, I am graduating high school early, Summa Cum Laude, and will be playing Division 1 Volleyball for the Florida State University. I took what I could control; my effort level, my attitude, and my work-ethic, and accomplished much through sheer will, hard work, and determination. Much like turning lemons into lemonade, I have turned a struggle into a strength by taking control of my health and circumstances and developing into my own advocate. As a young person of legal age heading off to college, I am taking a proactive role in my health and the helm from my mother. Celiac and Graves have prepared me in so many ways. I have watched my mom question doctors, juggle appointments, hunt down menus, recipes and ingredient lists and find bread or cupcakes for a last-minute playdate or dinner invitation. I feel well prepared to do the same for myself. Heading into this next season of college, I will be in many unfamiliar situations that I will need to navigate solo like living in an apartment with roommates, communicating with professors about grades or concerns, filling my own prescriptions, managing doctors’ appointments, and staying on a gluten free diet. None of these scare me! Having autoimmune diseases taught me to advocate. While tough diagnoses can be hurdles, they don’t have to be closed doors or even insurmountable walls. Those of us with autoimmune disease don’t have to be derailed as we reach for our dreams.

“Block the ball! It isn’t that hard!” bellowed Coach James. Somehow the girl on the other side of the net had blasted the volleyball right through my block. I let my head fall back in frustration. I brought my head back upright and met my teammates in the middle of the court. “It's ok. Shake it off,” each teammate said in unison. “Time-out!” yelled Coach. The ref blew the whistle. I let out a deep breath as I prepared myself for the worst. I walked by my coach as he stared me down. My eyes stayed locked on the court beneath my shoes. With my water in hand, I plopped down on the bench. Silence encased our huddle. “Look how tall you are! How are you incapable of blocking this girl! “Be mean! Stuff that ball down her throat and rub it in her face!” Coach scoffed as he stomped away. All I could do was take a big swig of water to hide the tears accumulating in my eyes. My vision became blurry, and my throat started to burn. I couldn’t hold back the tears, so I pulled the neck hole of my bright pink jersey over my eyes as though I was wiping away sweat. While in my cave a valuable moment of calmness washed over me. The sounds around me became muffled as I closed my eyes to think. A video crafted by my favorite retired USC volleyball player, Victoria Garrick, popped into mind. “If you can get yourself to your six, that calm, yet committed state of mind, you are going to be at your optimal level for performance,” replayed Garrick’s video in my mind. I reflected on all the times Coach told me that I needed to play more aggressive and mean. These words had been drilled into me since the age of ten. Now being fifteen years old, nothing had changed. I realized that the loud, in your face, smack talking athlete he envisioned wasn’t me. For me to be the best player I could possibly be, I had to play my six, no one else’s. I lifted my hands from my face and let the jersey slowly slide back down. I emerged with a new sense of who I was. Wiping the dust from the bottom of my shoes with my hand, I reentered the court with an unfamiliar pep in my step. The next forty-five minutes were the best volleyball I had played up until that point. We ended up winning in a nail-biting three set thriller of a match that attracted crowds of people. “Wow, what a good game!” my mother exclaimed. “We were a bit worried in the beginning of the game. What changed?” dad questioned. “Well, after our time-out I sat on the bench and remembered a video Victoria Garrick made. In her video she described how to achieve peak performance. She used a scale from one to ten. Playing at a ten would be too jittery and playing at a one would be too calm. The best zone is a six, but not everyone’s six is the same. I need to find what my six is because that’s where I play the best.” I explained. As we rose out of the depths of the building, the sunlight became blinding until our eyes adjusted. The bustling energy of the center was left behind. The sun shone boldly into my eyes, and I couldn’t help but smile and be grateful for both the good and bad. Even more, I was delighted I had discovered that my six was good enough.

At two years old, a Celiac Sprue diagnosis came to be after a failure to thrive label was handed to my parents. Eventual short stature, among other complications, would be my fate we were told. Yet, we figured out the gluten free diet and I thrived. Then in third grade came another diagnosis. Ironically it was the same year I picked up a volleyball for the first time. This time it was Graves Disease or Autoimmune Hyperthyroidism, another potentially physically limiting condition. Again, my parents worked through a staggering learning curve, and I was thriving once more. Today, against the odds, I am a 6’3’’ Division 1 female volleyball player!! While a Celiac/Graves one-two punch could have taken me out of the game, it has shaped me into a person that doesn’t let much deter me. I know that I have the power to control my diet, take my thyroid medication, listen to my body and stay active. With those choices I control my destiny. I have carried this conviction into every area in my life. I am not a natural athlete, nor am I a naturally gifted student. Yet, I am graduating high school early, Summa Cum Laude, and will be playing Division 1 Volleyball for the Florida State University. I took what I could control; my effort level, my attitude, and my work-ethic, and accomplished much through sheer will, hard work, and determination. Much like turning lemons into lemonade, I have turned a struggle into a strength by taking control of my health and circumstances and developing into my own advocate. As a young person of legal age heading off to college, I am taking a proactive role in my health and the helm from my mother. Celiac and Graves have prepared me in so many ways. I have watched my mom question doctors, juggle appointments, hunt down menus, recipes and ingredient list and find bread or cupcakes for a last-minute playdate or dinner invitation. I feel well prepared to do the same for myself. Heading into this next season of college, I will be in many unfamiliar situations that I will need to navigate solo like living in an apartment with roommates, communicating with professors about grades or concerns, filling my own prescriptions, managing doctors’ appointments, and staying on a gluten free diet. None of these scare me! Having autoimmune diseases taught me to advocate. While tough diagnoses can be hurdles, they don’t have to be closed doors or even insurmountable walls. Those of us with autoimmune disease don’t have to be derailed as we reach for our dreams.

Madeline Snider November 30, 2022 One-Two Punch At two years old, a Celiac Sprue diagnosis came to be after a failure to thrive label was handed to my parents. Eventual short stature, among other complications, would be my fate we were told. Yet, we figured out the gluten free diet and I thrived. Then in third grade came another diagnosis. Ironically it was the same year I picked up a volleyball for the first time. This time it was Graves Disease or Autoimmune Hyperthyroidism, another potentially physically limiting condition. Again, my parents worked through a staggering learning curve, and I was thriving once more. Today, against the odds, I am a 6’3’’ Division 1 female volleyball player!! While a Celiac/Graves one-two punch could have taken me out of the game, it has shaped me into a person that doesn’t let much deter me. I know that I have the power to control my diet, take my thyroid medication, listen to my body and stay active. With those choices I control my destiny. I have carried this conviction into every area in my life. I am not a natural athlete, nor am I a naturally gifted student. Yet, I am graduating high school early, Summa Cum Laude, and will be playing Division 1 Volleyball for the Florida State University. I took what I could control; my effort level, my attitude, and my work-ethic, and accomplished much through sheer will, hard work, and determination. Much like turning lemons into lemonade, I have turned a struggle into a strength by taking control of my health and circumstances and developing into my own advocate. As a young person of legal age heading off to college, I am taking a proactive role in my health and the helm from my mother. Celiac and Graves have prepared me in so many ways. I have watched my mom question doctors, juggle appointments, hunt down menus, recipes and ingredient list and find bread or cupcakes for a last-minute playdate or dinner invitation. I feel well prepared to do the same for myself. Heading into this next season of college, I will be in many unfamiliar situations that I will need to navigate solo like living in an apartment with roommates, communicating with professors about grades or concerns, filling my own prescriptions, managing doctors’ appointments, and staying on a gluten free diet. None of these scare me! Having autoimmune diseases taught me to advocate. While tough diagnoses can be hurdles, they don’t have to be closed doors or even insurmountable walls. Those of us with autoimmune disease don’t have to be derailed as we reach for our dreams.