Against All Odds
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Jan. 23, 2002
Watching freshman Michelle Reynolds swim the 200 butterfly or 500 freestyle in Miami's recent meets, it's hard to imagine that she was struggling to walk two years ago.
Reynolds, who has been swimming since she was 5, was a standout at Wyoming High School until she was stricken with a extremely rare illness in December of her junior year that put her future in jeopardy.
"The hardest part of swimming is the training during Christmas time. I was really tired and didn't know what was wrong," Reynolds said. "I went to the doctor because I was starting to slur my words. I didn't know what was going on."
She went to two emergency rooms and was told at both that she had come down with mononucleosis. On New Year's Eve, Reynolds needed help walking into the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, where she was told it was either a brain tumor or another brain condition, the name of which was not known to the staff.
After undergoing numerous tests, such as a CAT scan, spinal taps and an MRI, as well as examinations by 14 different doctors in eight days, she was diagnosed with cerebellitis. She was told that the antibodies that should have been attacking the mono were instead attacking her cerebellum, the back portion of her brain.
"It's so rare, I typed cerebellitis up on the Internet so that I could do a research project on it, and I didn't come up with one result," Reynolds said. "Children's Hospital had only seen one other instance of cerebellitis before."
Reynolds was treated for eight days at the hospital before being released. Despite the doctors' wanting her to stay an extra week so they could run more tests, Reynolds would not allow herself to be cooped up in the hospital while she was missing school and swimming.
"My mom begged them to let me come home," Reynolds said.
She spent the next month-and-a-half going through intense physical and occupational therapy, where she had to re-learn how to walk, talk and do other daily activities that are taken for granted.
Her recovery time was almost miraculous.
"I was the marvel of therapy," Reynolds said. "It came back pretty fast."
In particular, the ability to swim returned sooner than anyone could have anticipated, even before walking. Reynolds was helped onto the starting block before her 14th-place finish in the 100 fly at the Ohio State Championships during her junior year.
"Being in the water was easier because it wasn't a balance thing," Reynolds said.
She went on to win the state championship in the 100 fly her senior year, beating those that had passed her during her illness and proving what she was capable of when she was healthy.
"I was frustrated to not be where I wanted to be during my junior year," Reynolds said. "I was determined to beat the girls that beat me while I was sick."
That performance was one of the reasons Miami Head Coach Dave Jennings offered Reynolds a scholarship. She also went on recruiting visits to Clemson University and the University of South Carolina, but decided Miami was the place to showcase her talents.
"I liked the team and facilities a lot," Reynolds said. "Coach is really good at being specialized at training. He is a great motivator and he really gets to know swimmers on a personal level."
Since her arrival in Oxford, Reynolds has not disappointed. She posted the fastest 200 fly time this season in the Mid-American Conference and placed second in that event at the highly competitive Miami Invitational.
"Michelle is great in the butterfly and is a great middle-distance swimmer. She is a great addition because she fills a void on our team in those areas," Jennings said. "She has the tools to swim at the next level, the NCAA Championships."
Her determination to make it to the next level runs much deeper than just a pursuit of accolades.
Reynolds says, "Since I've been sick, I say, 'If I got through that, I can get through anything.' I don't doubt myself or put limits on myself anymore."
After overcoming a rare brain disorder, swimming is no longer the be-all and end-all it once was in Reynolds' life.
"Having this illness has made her appreciate swimming," Jennings said. "It put swimming in proper perspective."
Reynolds agrees with her coach.
"I definitely don't take things for granted anymore," Reynolds said. "I look at swimming as something I want to do. I enjoy swimming a lot more now."
Story by Matt Toy