Junior Olivia Neunaber stands as she watches her teammates swim during practice. She has recently been allowed to join the swim team after her injury from cross country. “It’s a really fun sport to do that pushes me physically and mentally,” Neunaber said, “it’s also a good way to build leadership skills and meet new people.” (Photo by Adam Hogan)
OVERCOMING THE OBSTACLES Junior Olivia Neunaber continues swimming after recovering from having surgery on both legs
by Chloe Horstman
“I’m sure we remember what it was like when we couldn’t drive ourselves everywhere.” Olivia said. “I wasn’t allowed to drive until three weeks after my ince the age of six, junior Olivia Neunaber has been swimming and surgery. It’s like you’re in such a habit of driving yourself and being able to do pushing herself as an individual to her limits in the pool, on the track everything yourself and I was in a wheelchair and couldn’t drive, couldn’t walk or on the bike, and began competitively swimming for a club in middle and get stuff for myself. It’s like everything changed.” school. She’s always been tough and has seen more than her fair share of injuries, Friend and teammate junior Natalia Salazar swam on FHN’s swim team with but even after two stress fractures, an injury to her achilles tendon and shoulder, Olivia last swim season. Salazar views Olivia as a very mentally strong person and nothing compared to the tight calves, tingling feet and panic attacks that she admires the way she faced her obstacles to overcome her injuries. dealt with during this past cross country season. “[Olivia] never really complained about it,” Salazar said. “She’s always been Her symptoms started freshman year but over time worsened to intolerable really tough about it. She still swims amazing, there’s nothing holding her back. levels. After many doctors visits, she was diagnosed with chronic compartment She’s still the same Olivia, she’s just got scars on her legs. She’s a very strong syndrome, an uncommon condition in which an increase person and she handles herself very well.” in pressure caused poor circulation and inadequate tissue Olivia’s dedication in sports and her commitment to her functions, resulting in damage to the muscles and nerves in decision to get surgery helped calm her mother, Meghan her legs. On Sept. 10 she went into surgery and surgeons cut Neunaber, who was anxious about her daughter having surgery Learn more about her fascia, the connective tissue that covers the bones in her and the chance it wouldn’t help. compartment syndrome legs. After the operation, Olivia’s shins were wrapped to allow “If [Olivia] needs to get better at something, she’ll take the time here: bit.ly/NSccs the six inch incisions that scarred them to heal. Her lengthy to practice and see what she needs to do,” Meghan said. “As an road to recovery started her off in a wheelchair, and gradually athlete, she analyzes things, so she knows what she needs to do transitioned into crutches two weeks later and independently to get better, and she’ll work on it. She’s persistent, she’s a hard walking four weeks later. worker.” “Being in a boot for a stress fracture is a lot different than not being able to walk As Olivia continues to recover, she looks forward to striving to achieve new and being in a wheelchair,” Olivia said. “This was definitely the hardest to deal goals in the pool, swimming the 100 fly, and 200 and 500 free, and getting back with. I remember the night before the surgery, I was thinking ‘I can’t walk for the into shape. Though it was an uphill battle, Olivia believes that going through the next week or two.’ And that scared me, it’s weird to think about.” difficult process of surgery and recovery had a positive impact. While the physical restraints were plenty cumbersome, perhaps the most “It [the surgery and recovery process] made me stronger as an athlete,” Olivia difficult aspect of recovery for Olivia to deal with was having her independence said. “I do a lot of sports, so being taken out of all of those tore me, but going stripped away. She couldn’t put any pressure on her legs, so she wasn’t allowed back to sports that I love definitely made me a better athlete because it made me to run, drive or even walk, and had to sleep on the couch in her living room as a remember how much I love doing sports. Even though they’re hard, I love doing flight of stairs stood in the way of her bedroom. them.”
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