“He changed my sorrow into dancing." ~ Psalm
30:11
He’d become her second father –
the central point in her life. The high
school track coach that had lifted her from deep depression now catches her every
time she crosses the finish line.
Literally!
Three years ago, Kayla Montgomery took an unexpected spill
during a high school soccer game. Later
that night, her feet went numb and a tingling sensation shot up her spine. Her parents initially thought it was normal muscle
strain, but the situation became more serious when the numbness continued for
days.
After months of tests, doctors finally diagnosed Kayla with
multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease that attacks the nervous system, disrupting
motor coordination and movement. Kayla
was terrified that she might never walk, let alone run again. Depression roared in like a runaway freight
train.
Enter Coach Cromwell, a guy who believes that every athlete -
regardless of skill level - deserves the opportunity to be part of a team. The former college athlete had changed his
own life from a boy embarrassed by girls beating him in races to a record
holding middle distance runner.
He helped her realize that there was no point in pitying
herself or blaming God for her condition.
Kayla wanted desperately back in sports, but ball sports were out of the
question due to her MS. So Coach invited
her to join the track team.
MS is mysterious. In
Kayla’s case, she doesn’t start losing the feeling in her legs until about the
first mile marker. Her legs go numb as
her body temperature rises. She runs as
if on autopilot after that. Momentum is
all that keeps her moving forward.
Thanks to dogged determination, hard work, and a coach who
believed in her, Kayla went from being just an average competitor to one of the
country's fastest young 3200 meter runners, ranking 21st nationally.
But due to MS, Kayla isn’t able to come to a full, controlled
stop after she crosses the finish line. There
she collapses in excruciating pain as she struggles to regain feeling in both
her legs. Coach Cromwell catches here
every time.
For Kayla, running is more than a sport; it keeps her one
step ahead of her disease. There may
even be a silver lining – MS stole her ability to take things for granted. Having energy, walking, and being pain free are
now luxuries; running became a great distraction from whatever life threw at
her. It allowed her to reach her full
potential and become more resourceful than ever.
Because MS is so unpredictable, it’s unclear how Kayla’s
condition will progress. But the young college
student who runs for her university’s cross-country team has vowed to use her
gift of mobility as long as she can.
