Have you ever said to yourself, “Not again!” when facing a repeat or similar misfortune?
As if once isn’t bad enough?
What do you think when bad luck rears its face pertaining to the same topic twice, or even three times?
You know what they say…”it comes in threes.”
Kayla Yoshioka Montalvo, a talented softball player, has undergone surgery not once, or twice, but three times—all within a short period of time—but still has manged to come out on top.
Currently, Kayla plays as a centerfielder on the softball team for the United States Coast Guard Academy’s NCAA Division 3 program which is based out of New London, Connecticut and her coach is Arielle Cooper.
She started playing again in 2020 after her trio of operations and the talented outfielder, as one of three freshman starters, hit a robust .387 with seven RBIs.
This year as a sophomore she started all 14 of the Bears’ game and batted .381 with nine RBIs, eight walks, no strikeouts, no errors in 28 chances and produced a .480 on-base percentage.
Prior to the Coast Guard, Kayla played softball as an right and centerfielder for the Nemesis Elite travel ball team out of Downey, California for eight years (three years at the 18U level) and also four years as a varsity centerfielder for Torrance High School.
During that time, she worked with influential coaches such as Manuel Garcia Sr (Nemesis Elite) and Don Glavich (Torrance High School) and graduated from Torrance High in 2017.
In June of her senior year, less than three weeks before graduation, Kayla was injured during a high school PowderPuff (football) game and was told by doctors that her meniscus needed to be repaired and that she had torn her ACL.
After surgery, Kayla received both good and bad news: the good news was that her ACL was repaired with her hamstring which would cut down on her recovery time.
The bad news was that during surgery, Kayla’s meniscus disintegrated and she would need a donor cadaver meniscus. Without it, she would not be able to walk more than a mile or continue her training in the Coast Guard Academy.
Kayla started physical therapy right away… but without a meniscus.
She remembered:
“It was the most pain I have ever endured.”
Thankfully, two weeks later, doctors found Kayla a meniscus but she had to complete two more months of physical therapy before she could undergo her second surgery.
Kayla continued:
“The second surgery was the hardest because I had made so much progress and had to start over.”
This time, her recovery was more difficult because she was unable to walk and had to be non-weight bearing for three weeks and was confined to a wheelchair. Kayla’s recovery entailed 11 long moths of painful physical therapy and was cleared in May of 2018, almost a year after her initial injury.
As if two surgeries in less than a year isn’t challenging enough, Kayla’s resiliency would soon be tested once again.
Not even three months later, Kayla slipped on a wet floor during a timed shower—a normal routine when training in the Coast Guard Academy. This time, she tore her other meniscus in the same knee and, once again, Kayla found herself undergoing another surgery.
Again, the recovery process was painful and long, but six months later she was cleared to return to training with the Coast Guard Academy.
Between June of 2017 and January of 2019, Kayla underwent three surgeries on the same knee and attended over 100 physical therapy appointments. When asked what her the hardest part was for Kayla, she explained that she went from being completely independent to having to depend on her family and friends for help.
She also struggled with the realization that she would have to postpone her dreams of attending the United States Coast Guard Academy right after graduating from high school.
Kayla stated:
“I had to relearn to walk three different times. It was a slow and grueling process and it was difficult to not get frustrated or regret playing in the PowderPuff game. It was more of a mental game than it was physical, especially after the third surgery.”
Kayla’s personal growth has been tremendous and inspiring.
She told Extra Inning Softball that she learned everything happens for a reason. She pointed out that if she did not have to take time off to heal, she would have been negatively impacted by COVID during her junior and senior year in training.
Because of her the setbacks, new opportunities opened up for Kayla who has since been selected to be one of 15 cadets to service exchange to other academies.
We asked Kayla what advice she would give to other injured players. Her response holds meaning for everyone:
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Take the time to self-reflect and examine your long-term and short-term goals. I had to really work to align my personal values to the Coast Guard Academy’s: Honor, Respect, and Devotion to Duty.”
“Unexpected” is the one word Kayla chose to sum up her experience. Not only were her injuries unexpected, but so was her mental outlook on life.
“I unexpectedly say that my road is one that I would travel again because of the lessons I learned and the person it has made me.”
Kayla had an amazing support group throughout her recovery. She credits her mother, Kathy Yoshioka, who reminded her daily that everything would be worth it.
“I can’t thank her enough for all that she did and to this day she always reminds e how far I’ve come and how proud she is which drives me to work even harder.”
She also says her dad, Kyle Whitlock, was influential because of how he persevered after he had his leg amputated when he was 7 years old.
“He reminded me that no matter what you go through, things are what you make of it.”
Kayla’s coach from her travel team days, Manny Garcia, also played a huge role in her recovery. He extended an invitation to Kayla to help coach a 10U team which she happily accepted.
Kayla’s love for softball also influenced her younger sister, Kristyn Whitlock. Kristyn plays with Impact Gold National – Jones, and was recently ranked #73 in the 2023 Extra Elite 100 rankings.
Kayla is living evidence that with a lot of hard work, perserverence, and determination, hard times do pass and life lessons can be learned along the way. Her positive outlook in life can even be seen in her email signature which reads:
“The comeback is always stronger than the setback.”
— Bonnie Eads, Extra Inning Softball
To read more about Kayla’s inspiration journey in her essay titled “My Story Matters,” click HERE.
