University of Tampa Women's Volleyball Drafts Newest Teammate Through Team IMPACT
#TampaVB welcomes their newest teammate, Natalia, through Team IMPACT.
September 28, 2017
TAMPA, Fla. – On September 28th, The University of Tampa women's volleyball team welcomed their newest and youngest teammate, 16-year-old Natalia, through Team IMPACT.
The Draft Day was held on the Tampa campus, where Natalia was joined by her mother and sister, as well as members of the women's volleyball team and coaching staff. In front of her new teammates, at a press conference held in her honor, Natalia signed her National Letter of Intent to make her membership official.
At the age of 12, Natalia was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, or CRPS. CRPS is a rare disease of the Sympathetic Nervous System, classified as the highest pain condition. The disease causes pain to be constant, extremely intense, and out of proportion to the original injury. However, this is not the only disease that Natalia suffers from. The soon-to-be 17-year-old described a bit of her medical history and included how she has been effected by roughly six other serious medical conditions, including dysautonomia, gastroparesis, EDS, and mast cell.
Despite all the battles she faces, Natalia continues to fight with strength and charisma, inspiring many. The newest Spartan pursues many hobbies. Having already starred in her own movie, she enjoys English and reading books. Additionally, she considers herself an artist and especially likes painting and ceramics. Not to mention, Natalia is also trilingual and self-taught in both Spanish and Sign Language. While she is currently focused on high school, she aspires to be a Neonatologist.
On Draft Day, Natalia was presented with a team shirt and a dozen red roses while Senior Kasey Reynolds formally welcomed her to the squad on behalf of the entire team. Head Coach Chris Catanach then extended his welcome and expressed his excitement about this opportunity to interact with such an inspiring individual. "We are excited to have Natalia on our team. I think it's always awesome to have players experience relationships with people who are far less fortunate, and maybe it makes them appreciate a little more of what they have in life, and what they are afforded by being an athlete. Natalia is a brave young lady, and I can't even imagine what she is going through today, but we are excited to have her as an inspiration to us," he said.
Through Team IMPACT, Natalia hopes to raise awareness about pain conditions. But most importantly, she is excited to officially join the team. With all she battles through, Natalia truly embodies what it means to have determination and is sure to be a motivation to her teammates and coaches.
ABOUT TEAM IMPACT:
Team IMPACT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to improve the quality of life for children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses through the power of team. Team IMPACT children are drafted on to college athletic teams, local to where they live and, in effect, become official members of the team from Draft Day through to Graduation. At Team IMPACT, they envision a future where the lives of children facing the hardships associated with adverse issues and events will have access to collegiate team-based support in order to significantly enhance their quality of life in a number of ways, including; socially, psychologically, physically and academically. Team IMPACT also strives to provide collegiate teams with increased levels of awareness, sympathy and support for the medical and disease communities. Established in 2011, Team IMPACT has already matched over 950 children with collegiate teams, at over 400 institutions in 45 states, improving the quality of life of hundreds of courageous children and touching the lives of over 25,000 student athletes.
For more information, please visit: www.goteamimpact.org.