BY ELLIE FEUERSTEIN, Freshman
BLYTHEWOOD-- Sarah Feuerstein’s love for soccer has driven her to fight against her knees with surgeries and physical therapy.
Sarah has played soccer since the age of 4 meaning she has been playing for a total of 14 years.
“Since she could sit up at 7 months old, Sarah would sit on the floor and play with balls. She never played with dolls. She would always want to play with balls. Naturally she had a love for soccer, so we signed her up for rec soccer when she was 4. We just knew that this was it because she absolutely loved it,” Pamela Feuerstein, mother of Sarah said.
As Sarah grew up she played soccer on rec teams at Polo field, Columbia United and the Blythewood varsity girls team.
“I always enjoyed playing on the different teams because of the different players and the different environments of each team,” Sarah Feuerstein said.
Sarah had no issues when playing soccer until one day her knees started to give her pain.
“When I was 12, I started having bad knee pain, so we went to the doctor and found out that I had Osgood Schlatters disease which is when your growth tissue is very inflamed in your knees,” Feuerstein said.
Later, Sarah found out that not only does she have Osgood Schlatters disease, but also her knee structure is incorrect.
“My kneecap doesn't align properly when I bend it,” Feuerstein said.
Because of her incorrect knee structure, Sarah had to undergo knee surgery during her sophomore year.
“When I found out that I had to have surgery, all I could think about was ‘Will I still be able to play soccer?’” Feuerstein said.
The surgery and doctors appointments were only the start of Sarah's journey to recovery.
“One of the hardest things I witnessed with Sarah's knees was after she had surgery. I watch her struggle to keep up with her school work while she was out and I could tell how miserable she was while she was on crutches and inactive. Everywhere she went she was forced to walk on crutches and I know her physical pain was tough but I could tell the thing most painful for her was not being able to play soccer,” Annie Whitfield, Sarah’s teammate said.
As Sarah was trying to get better, her knees didn't cooperate as well as they had hoped.
“We expected after 6-12 weeks she would be back to 100 percent, but even after a year her knees never fully made a 100 percent recovery,” Pamela Feuerstein said.
Sarah went through hours of physical therapy, went to many doctors appointments, and went to rehab all to get her knees into the shape she needed them to be to get back on the field.
“I remember the struggle I went through going to all my physical therapy sessions. I even passed out one time because the pain got so bad. But I kept pushing myself because I hated not playing soccer,” Feuerstein said.
Sarah’s knees kept her from playing the game she loved but she never gave up the fight to play.
“One of Sarah's best qualities is perseverance. I remember once she told me after a doctor's visit that she would not quit playing soccer until she could no longer walk. I always admired her because despite her years of knee problems she was still obviously in love with the game of soccer and would not let anything keep her from doing what she loved,” Whitfield said.
Sarah hopes to pursue a job in physical therapy or another sports medicine job.
“Growing up I always loved sports and after going through all the things I have been through, I hope that I can continue to be involved with sports in my career,” Feuerstein said.
The love of soccer pushed Sarah to overcome major issues in her knees. With hard work Sarah has made a recovery and is now back playing on the girls’ varsity soccer team at Blythewood High.
“With everything I have been through, I’m happy that I can now be back on the field, playing the game I love,” Feuerstein said.
