Rampart junior libero Grace Wilkinson received the MaxPreps Semper Fidelis Athlete of the Month award for her perseverance through an undiscovered illness.
Before the school year began, Wilkinson felt sick after physical education class and went to the doctor thinking she had the flu. It wasn’t the flu, it was much worse.
After five weeks or searching for answers she was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome or P.O.T.S. syndrome. Essentially her nervous system did a hard reset. She missed half of a semester of school and the first part of the volleyball season.
“The administration and the athletic director were awesome and helped me through everything,” said Wilkinson. “I think my teachers and my teammates helped me a ton because I was so down and they helped me every single day to get back on the court.”
“It was really an eye opening experience getting sick because I think more than anything I took volleyball for granted,” she said. “Now that I got sick and couldn’t play I made the best of any moment I play volleyball now, so I think it’s awesome. To feel the support from everyone was awesome. It was a really humbling experience and I’m really thankful I could share it with all my teammates and friends.”
