MANLEY WINS GOLD IN THE GAME OF LIFE
BELOIT OH- On February 20th, Maria Manley’s life changes forever. On the day Maria gave birth to her daughter Elena. At first all seemed fine, Elena was a healthy baby girl, and they were set to be discharged in a couple days. However, Maria’s condition would unfortunately take a turn. She developed a fever, that eventually turned into seizures. They got so bad that Maria’s doctors had to put her in medically induced coma. When Maria woke up eight days later, she couldn’t move. She was paralyzed from the neck down.
Manley was diagnosed with MOG (Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein) it is a antibody related inflammatory disease. In Maria’s case, inflammation in her brain stem. This diagnosis began Manley on a long, and hard journey to recovery. That journey would begin at the Shepard Center in Atlanta Georgia. The facility helps people of all different ages deal with permanent or temporary neurological disabilities. Manley was there for four months. Separated from home, Maria began working with physical therapists and specialists to rehabilitate her and get her to a place where she could return home and not just take care of herself, but also her daughter.
Manley’s path to recovery gathered a ton of support from the West Branch community. They shined through and proved what almost every athlete we have ever interviewed from the school says, they are a family. The Warriors faithful took Maria under their wings and did a ton of things to raise her spirits while she battled through physical therapy.
Fast forward to September 21st after months of work Manley was able to step back on a soccer field for West Branch. In the Warriors 1-0 win over Alliance, Manley was put into the game for 5 minutes. The girl that didn’t know if she could ever walk again now got to play the sport that she loves with her daughter in the stands. In one of the most inspiring moments you will ever see the Warrior community got to embrace Maria on the field once again. She shared a hug with fellow senior Kingsley Briceland as they stood on the field together. Victory over tragedy had been accomplished.
That wasn’t the end of Manley’s amazing week. Two days later at the West Branch football game, Maria was voted Homecoming Queen. She says it was completely unexpected and that made it a memory that her and her family would cherish forever. The Warriors crowned her as Queen, but beyond that they symbolized just how much they were behind her.
Maria was kind enough to take the time and share her story with us this week. She sat down with Anthony Hartwig and went over everything she has gone through in the last 7 months. She also talks about what got her through the hard times, how much the West Branch community support helped her, how they are now helping another West Branch student in need, and so much more. This is a story you will not want to miss. The latest West Branch Girls Soccer player profile is an inspiring one, and you can find it only on YSN!
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