Williams Perseveres On Lacrosse Field After Coma Last Year
February 10, 2019 | Lacrosse
BOULDER - University of Colorado sophomore Aine Williams is a typical student-athlete. The lacrosse defender balances academics and athletics. She has meetings with her coaches and meets with her academic coordinator. Her bubbly personality and infectious laugh will lead one to believe she that she is enjoying life to the fullest.
"She is just incredible kid, someone that is really team-orientated," head coach Ann Elliott Whidden said. "She always has a positive attitude, works hard, is there for her teammates and is really actually a funny kid. She is a great personality to be around and she just brings a lot to our program."
But almost a year ago, things were very, very different. A few days before the team flew to Florida to start the 2018 season, Williams suddenly fell ill. "My back and head really started hurting out of the blue," Williams said. "It was really painful, but the next morning it was completely fine."
Her symptoms came and went for a few days. One night, Williams decided she needed to get an IV because she thought it was just the flu, so her roommate (and teammate), Devon Bayer, took her to Boulder Community Health. Williams does not remember a whole lot more after getting to the hospital, but did know that her cousin, who works at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, came up to see her and helped to get her transferred to Anschutz, where she would stay for almost a month.
She was intubated and put on life-support for about three weeks, two of which she was in a medically induced coma. During her month-long stay at the hospital, her parents, Michael and Erin, were with her. But she also had other regular visitors in CU coaches Whidden, Alex Frank and Mitch Fenton, and athletic trainer Carina Gattas. Near the end of her stay, she was even able to see teammates and friends.
The doctors had a difficult time pinpointing what she had come down with. They ended up diagnosing it as Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia, a rare lung condition affecting small airways, although they still are not certain that is what it was. "I remember at first they thought maybe I had lung cancer because I had masses on my lungs, but I got so sick that they couldn't put me back in the machines to get a CT-scan."
When she was finally released, Williams went home to Hingham, Mass., where she was able to focus on her recovery with her family. She had to relearn to walk, but lacrosse was never far from her mind.
Her high school coach Meredith Frank (CU Associate Head Coach Alex Frank's sister), invited her back to coach with her in the spring. "I really only waited a few weeks before I got back into things," Williams said. "And even though I was just holding my stick, I couldn't catch or throw, just being around everything helped me. I was never separated from lacrosse."
And she wasn't separated from her team either. The Buffs hosted the inaugural 2018 Pac-12 Lacrosse Tournament at Prentup Field in Boulder, and Williams and her dad were there in the stands to cheer them on. Having them there was very important for the Buffs, as well as for Williams and her family.
"January, February and going into March was hard emotionally; there were a lot of unfortunate things that were happening," Whidden explained. "So to see Aine be able to go home and get healthy, and then be able to make the trip back to be with our team for the Pac-12 Championships, was huge. I think that on some level, it reminds you that there are other things going on in life and how special a moment is. At the same time for our team to have something positive and good made us feel a little bit better about everything else that was going on."
Being back in Boulder for the first time in a couple of months was also a big stepping-stone for Williams.
"It was really special because it was the first time I had seen everyone since after I got sick," Williams said. "I think that from when they last saw me after I got out of the hospital; I had gotten a lot better in such a short span of time. I really worked hard to be able to go there."
While she was recovering at home, her teammates were never far from her mind. "I wanted to get back to the team. I've made so many friends and everyone is so great. I just wanted to get back to see everyone. And even knowing that I might not play, I wanted to be part of the team."
Williams put in a lot of work over the spring and summer months and returned to Boulder in the fall. Along with her parents, she made the decision she was going to try to come back to CU as a student-athlete.
"When she went home [in February], we knew her parents were telling us that she really wanted to come back, and that all Aine was talking about was coming back to school in the fall and making sure that she could come back to be with the team," Whidden said. "It was very much her family's decision on what she was doing and where she was at. To see how hard she worked over the summer and to see her actually come back in the fall and be able to join the team as a participant like anybody else was exciting for us. For her it was an incredible testament to her strength and her motivation and how much passion she has for this team and wants to be a part of it."
Her return was a little scary for her because as much as she wanted to be back with the team and playing lacrosse, that also meant she would have to be attending classes and doing school work, which was a little daunting after all she had been through. But just like everything else she has dealt with, she has had success.
And with all that work and the work she continues to put in day-in and day-out, she had been a huge inspiration for the team and coaches.
"Every day, everyone is out there fighting, trying to get better," Whidden said. "Everybody has injuries and things going on in life. There are a million things, but then you look at Aine, and think that it has not even been a year since she was really sick. She has been out there working hard and is pushing herself and she is choosing to do this and be a part of it, it is amazing. Knowing there are many unknowns for her and for what her role will be and wondering if she will ever be able to get herself fully back; but she is dedicated every day and is trying to do that. That is a huge inspiration for our team and again on some levels, a reminder to us that all of the things that we are going through could be worse."
After practicing with the team, she even saw time in some of CU's fall scrimmages, showing just how much strength she has. She admits it was hard getting back into the swing of things, but it did not take long to get settled in.
"I was really happy to come back, but I was really nervous too," Williams said. "Not only was I going back to school, but I was going to be playing, and I thought I would be doing everything; but that wasn't the case at all. Ann and all of the coaches, as well as Carina, really did a good job of getting me back into things slowly and getting me comfortable. I don't think I would have gotten better so quickly if I didn't have that goal to work towards."
Now, with the season just underway , Williams is looking forward to finally experiencing a regular collegiate season. "I've been looking forward to a spring season for almost a year now," she said. "Everyone talks about how much fun the spring is and traveling and playing games. Since I did not get to experience that last year that is definitely something I'm looking forward to."
Although Williams still has a ways to go, she has come a long way since last February. She knows there is still a lot of work for her to do, but she is looking forward to the challenge. "I'm going to try to get better every day," she said. "I'm not where I was before I got sick, so every day I want to try to get better. Hopefully one day I can get even better than I was before I got sick."
A year can make a big difference, but one thing will not change for Williams. "I'm so thankful for Ann, (athletic director), Rick George, (associate director for academics) Mindy (Sclaro), the whole athletic department and the whole school for helping me get back into things. The transition has been so smooth because I had the help."
"She is just incredible kid, someone that is really team-orientated," head coach Ann Elliott Whidden said. "She always has a positive attitude, works hard, is there for her teammates and is really actually a funny kid. She is a great personality to be around and she just brings a lot to our program."
But almost a year ago, things were very, very different. A few days before the team flew to Florida to start the 2018 season, Williams suddenly fell ill. "My back and head really started hurting out of the blue," Williams said. "It was really painful, but the next morning it was completely fine."
Her symptoms came and went for a few days. One night, Williams decided she needed to get an IV because she thought it was just the flu, so her roommate (and teammate), Devon Bayer, took her to Boulder Community Health. Williams does not remember a whole lot more after getting to the hospital, but did know that her cousin, who works at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, came up to see her and helped to get her transferred to Anschutz, where she would stay for almost a month.She was intubated and put on life-support for about three weeks, two of which she was in a medically induced coma. During her month-long stay at the hospital, her parents, Michael and Erin, were with her. But she also had other regular visitors in CU coaches Whidden, Alex Frank and Mitch Fenton, and athletic trainer Carina Gattas. Near the end of her stay, she was even able to see teammates and friends.
The doctors had a difficult time pinpointing what she had come down with. They ended up diagnosing it as Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia, a rare lung condition affecting small airways, although they still are not certain that is what it was. "I remember at first they thought maybe I had lung cancer because I had masses on my lungs, but I got so sick that they couldn't put me back in the machines to get a CT-scan."
When she was finally released, Williams went home to Hingham, Mass., where she was able to focus on her recovery with her family. She had to relearn to walk, but lacrosse was never far from her mind.
Her high school coach Meredith Frank (CU Associate Head Coach Alex Frank's sister), invited her back to coach with her in the spring. "I really only waited a few weeks before I got back into things," Williams said. "And even though I was just holding my stick, I couldn't catch or throw, just being around everything helped me. I was never separated from lacrosse."
And she wasn't separated from her team either. The Buffs hosted the inaugural 2018 Pac-12 Lacrosse Tournament at Prentup Field in Boulder, and Williams and her dad were there in the stands to cheer them on. Having them there was very important for the Buffs, as well as for Williams and her family.
"January, February and going into March was hard emotionally; there were a lot of unfortunate things that were happening," Whidden explained. "So to see Aine be able to go home and get healthy, and then be able to make the trip back to be with our team for the Pac-12 Championships, was huge. I think that on some level, it reminds you that there are other things going on in life and how special a moment is. At the same time for our team to have something positive and good made us feel a little bit better about everything else that was going on."
Being back in Boulder for the first time in a couple of months was also a big stepping-stone for Williams.
"It was really special because it was the first time I had seen everyone since after I got sick," Williams said. "I think that from when they last saw me after I got out of the hospital; I had gotten a lot better in such a short span of time. I really worked hard to be able to go there."
While she was recovering at home, her teammates were never far from her mind. "I wanted to get back to the team. I've made so many friends and everyone is so great. I just wanted to get back to see everyone. And even knowing that I might not play, I wanted to be part of the team."Williams put in a lot of work over the spring and summer months and returned to Boulder in the fall. Along with her parents, she made the decision she was going to try to come back to CU as a student-athlete.
"When she went home [in February], we knew her parents were telling us that she really wanted to come back, and that all Aine was talking about was coming back to school in the fall and making sure that she could come back to be with the team," Whidden said. "It was very much her family's decision on what she was doing and where she was at. To see how hard she worked over the summer and to see her actually come back in the fall and be able to join the team as a participant like anybody else was exciting for us. For her it was an incredible testament to her strength and her motivation and how much passion she has for this team and wants to be a part of it."
Her return was a little scary for her because as much as she wanted to be back with the team and playing lacrosse, that also meant she would have to be attending classes and doing school work, which was a little daunting after all she had been through. But just like everything else she has dealt with, she has had success.
And with all that work and the work she continues to put in day-in and day-out, she had been a huge inspiration for the team and coaches.
"Every day, everyone is out there fighting, trying to get better," Whidden said. "Everybody has injuries and things going on in life. There are a million things, but then you look at Aine, and think that it has not even been a year since she was really sick. She has been out there working hard and is pushing herself and she is choosing to do this and be a part of it, it is amazing. Knowing there are many unknowns for her and for what her role will be and wondering if she will ever be able to get herself fully back; but she is dedicated every day and is trying to do that. That is a huge inspiration for our team and again on some levels, a reminder to us that all of the things that we are going through could be worse."
After practicing with the team, she even saw time in some of CU's fall scrimmages, showing just how much strength she has. She admits it was hard getting back into the swing of things, but it did not take long to get settled in.
"I was really happy to come back, but I was really nervous too," Williams said. "Not only was I going back to school, but I was going to be playing, and I thought I would be doing everything; but that wasn't the case at all. Ann and all of the coaches, as well as Carina, really did a good job of getting me back into things slowly and getting me comfortable. I don't think I would have gotten better so quickly if I didn't have that goal to work towards."
Now, with the season just underway , Williams is looking forward to finally experiencing a regular collegiate season. "I've been looking forward to a spring season for almost a year now," she said. "Everyone talks about how much fun the spring is and traveling and playing games. Since I did not get to experience that last year that is definitely something I'm looking forward to."Although Williams still has a ways to go, she has come a long way since last February. She knows there is still a lot of work for her to do, but she is looking forward to the challenge. "I'm going to try to get better every day," she said. "I'm not where I was before I got sick, so every day I want to try to get better. Hopefully one day I can get even better than I was before I got sick."
A year can make a big difference, but one thing will not change for Williams. "I'm so thankful for Ann, (athletic director), Rick George, (associate director for academics) Mindy (Sclaro), the whole athletic department and the whole school for helping me get back into things. The transition has been so smooth because I had the help."