When I was pregnant with Jordyn, my husband and I had jokes and debates on which sport she would play. He grew up obsessed with basketball and I was big into volleyball. He came from a basketball town, and I, a town known for their volleyball skills. It was always a running joke between his family and mine. We never even considered that Jordyn wouldn’t be able to play either. We were both tall & from an athletic family so she was destined to do great things in sports.
As Jordyn got older and became the age where she should be walking, those jokes and debates ceased to exist. There was a real issue and we knew something wasn’t quite right. She began participating in First Steps to try and catch up on the skills she was behind in. She struggled to walk and talk. She was eventually diagnosed with Alexander disease which had other implications beyond just walking and talking.
We gave up on the idea that she would be some great volleyball or basketball player and turned our focus on how to prolong her life that was destined to end much too soon. We enrolled her in all the therapies we possibly could to try and slow down the regression that would likely come in the years to follow. We did all we could to help her get stronger.
When we realized that insurance wasn’t going to cover all the therapy that Jordyn needed, we put her on the waiting list for Kenny Rogers Children’s Center, a therapy center that runs on donations and sponsors and doesn’t require payment from it’s clients. She was accepted shortly after and we began OT and PT. Jordyn has been attending KRCC for almost 4 years now. What began as a way to get more therapy without support from insurance has quickly become so much more.
Jordyn’s therapist, with the help of other therapists, began an adaptive sports team. On Tuesday nights, Jordyn gets to play soccer with other kids like her. There is no age limit and no discrimination based on ability. The kids/young adults use power wheelchairs equipped with plastic bumpers to push or “kick” the soccer ball down the court. When she’s on that court, she is all smiles.
It has been so amazing to see a little bit of the light return to her eyes. She loves playing soccer with her friends. There is no competition. Everyone cheers for everyone. They help one another and encourage one another during the practices and games. It has brought her (and her family) so much joy!
I never dreamed I’d be a soccer mom, but I am SO proud of my little soccer rocker and I’m so happy that Jordyn has found so much joy in this sport.
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