But seven years later, just as she was positioned to become an impact player at one of the elite programs, the one thing she wanted to avoid at all costs was staring her right in her face: a life without volleyball. O'Neal burst into tears once again, holding her face, sobbing and remembering.Īt 13, she had undergone an open-heart surgery so she could play the sport she loved at the highest level. "We're not going to take what one doctor says and run with it, you hear me?"Īsjia hung up and walked in a daze to her dorm room, where her teammates and friends Jhenna Gabriel and Logan Eggleston were waiting. "We're going to get a second opinion," Mesha said forcefully into the phone. Catching her breath, Asjia narrated how a routine checkup turned into a nightmare. When O'Neal arrived back on campus, she called her mom from the sidewalk Mesha O'Neal heard only sobs. In silence, she stood up and walked with Koehler to the car. Maybe golf or cricket? She couldn't bring herself to respond. She watched Koehler's mouth move, but couldn't process a word of the urgent conversation her trainer was having with her doctor.Ī few minutes later, she heard the doctor ask her if she would consider other, less intense, sports. She stared at him blankly, her mouth glued shut. O'Neal tuned out every word that came out of her doctor's mouth after that. It was too dangerous for O'Neal to continue. And the intensity of volleyball was putting too much stress on her cardiovascular system. O'Neal's mitral valve leak - a condition she was born with that redirected blood back into her atrium rather than out to her ventricle, a condition that forced her heart to work extra hard to pump enough blood in the right direction, a condition that she already had undergone one surgery to correct - had gotten worse, the doctor explained. "It's not safe for you to play volleyball anymore." Her doctor entered the room, holding her results in his hands. They talked about the weather and the upcoming 2019 season, when O'Neal, a 6-foot-3 middle blocker, would make her debut after redshirting her first season with the Longhorns. As she waited on the exam table for her doctor, she made small talk with the Texas volleyball team's physical trainer, DeAnn Koehler, who had driven her to the hospital. She changed into a hospital gown, lay down, and a nurse administered an echocardiogram and an EKG, tests to check the rhythm and structure of her heart and its electrical signals. ON A SPRING afternoon in Austin, Texas, Asjia O'Neal nonchalantly walked into the Heart Hospital of Austin for her cardiology appointment, a twice-a-year routine she had been keeping most of her life. The extraordinary courage of NCAA volleyball star Asjia O'Neal If you just want to brag about something or rant, look for fellow players, etc, use this flair.You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser General - Posts that might not fit into any of the above catagories. Meta - Posts related to the state of the sub. Use this for things like articles/announcements/updates on pro leagues/tournaments etc. News/Events - This flair is for volleyball world news or upcoming events. At the very least, include the full speed shot first. Please refrain from using slo-mo in your videos. Pictures are ok too but video will be infinitely more helpful. If your question includes a video of yourself (which is always more helpful), use the "Form Advice" flair.įorm Check - This flair is for recordings of yourself or a friend that you would like a critique or specific help with. Questions - This flair is for most basic questions about volleyball. These can be personal highlights or something you found on the internet. Highlights - Use this flair on video posts of cool plays or replays from matches. Posts complaining about Haikyu!! fans that are not directly related to the subreddit will be removed. Please post video help and questions as link posts and not text posts. Please ask them on the stickied Weekly Questions Thread. Questions that are on the FAQ list are not allowed as individual posts. You may discuss past games but do not put the result in the title. The answer will always be "go see a trained professional". Posts asking for medical advice will be deleted. Our sub is about the sport, not the bodies of those playing it. Volleyball is enjoyed by folks of all ages and genders. Posts must be related to volleyball in some way. r/volleyball is on Discord! Click here for an invite! Rules: Users with ✅ next to their username have a track record of being knowledgeable and giving good advice. This subreddit is for tips, videos, and general discussion about one of the fastest rising r/sports in the world.
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