RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
Aubrey McLin is a 10-year-old softball player from Woodland, California who plays for the Woodland Beast Mode 10U travel team as a pitcher and first baseman.
She started playing fastpitch at age five—so half her life—and she explains why she enjoys softball so much: “I love the sound of the ball hitting the bat and being part of a team. My best softball experience so far has been my past two years with my beast mode softball family. Everyone cheers each other on and my two coaches have gone above and beyond to ensure I can play.”
When she says, “ensure I can play,” she is describing a chronic medical condition she has called Dysautonomia which is a chronic medical condition that affects over 70 million people.
Dysautonomia is a condition that impacts the autonomic nervous system and therefore all the “automatic” functions most people don’t have to think about. Among these are heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, dilation and constriction of the pupils of the eye, kidney function and body temperature control.
“Most people with Dysautonomia are not athletes due to the pain and stress that occurs with our bodies,” Aubrey explains. “I’ve learn to learned how to listen to my body and pushed through the pain and work with a team of doctors to make this happen.”
Like any dedicated young athlete looking to get better, Aubrey explains that her goal “is to continually improve my pitching skills, I am very proud of my pitching but it did not come easily.”
“Because I have Dysautonomia, I have to work out every day or else my body will rebel against me and won’t let me move so easily and I will experience a lot of pain.”
“Fortunately, I have a large support network that includes my family (mother, father, six-year-old brother and sister, my nana, aunts, uncles and grandparents); a Dysautonomia specialist at Stanford, Dr. Jaradeh; a Neurologist in Sacramento, Dr. Chitnis; my Pediatrician in Davis, Dr. Friend; my private pitching coach Mica Romero and Beast Mode Coaches Josh Werner and JD Luevano.”
And like many an aspiring young pitcher her role model is one of the greats in the sport, but she has another hero she looks up to.
“My role model in the sport is Jennie Fitch, she’s a great role model of any young girl pitcher. I also look up to Kayla Montgomery, an award running athlete with MLS who never lets her diagnoses get in the way of her dreams and goals. This too is my goal.”
Aubrey says that dealing with the pain of Dysautonomia is constant and she constantly has to be aware of warning signs when she’s playing.
“My toughest obstacle that I’ve learned to overcome in softball has been to listen to my body,” the young athlete stats. “When I sense my pitching arm and shoulder muscles are starting to really tense up. I spend a few seconds consciously relaxing them before continuing with a pitch.”
What helps her greatly, she says, is knowing she has so many around her who are there to assist in her efforts to not only compete, but to win… on the field and against the medical condition.
“I thank my local community for showing me such support, compassion, and understanding. My coaches and even the umpires all look out for me to ensure I’m finishing each inning and game strong.”
“They are all aware of my chronic medical condition but still treat me like a strong competitor and athlete. My community of supporters—Team Aubrey—has made all the difference in my success, my drive and my passion to encourage others with any obstacle in their life to dream big and aim high because no barriers can hold us back!”
Aubrey has been an activist in bringing awareness to the condition starting at the ripe old age of 7 when she gave a presentation to her second grade class and then one the next year to her third grade class, but those were only warm-ups.
She soon successfully petitioned the cities of Woodland and Davis as well as Yolo County to designate October as “Dysautonomia Awareness Month.” Aubrey also drew the interest of newspapers such as The Daily Democrat and The Davis Enterprise which covered the proclamation stories.
The young California “awareness activist” also created a website, Aubrey Dysautonomia Warrior, to bring attention to the condition and also to raise money for Dysautonomia International by selling Team Aubrey apparel and other items in an online store she titled Shop & Support Dysautonomia.
So what is her end goal? Aubrey sums it up simply saying, “I would like to have my story shared so that others like me won’t give up and know that is possible to obtain your dreams.”
“You may have to work harder than others and be willing to sacrifice a few things but it’s definitely worth it to play a sport that you truly love.”
“It gives you a feeling of validation that your condition doesn’t define you, and you also feel a wonderful sense of accomplish at the end of the day which really is priceless.”
*****
With permission and encouragement from Aubrey and the McLin family, here’s the article that ran in the Davis Enterprise which Aubrey wrote called:
Invisible No More
My name is Aubrey and I’m 10 years old and I have a dream that I’m now making my mission. A mission that my advocacy efforts, story, and voice will change the lack of research and funding that is out there for people with chronic medical conditions, like mine, Dysautonomia.
I know it’s a big word and many people first say to me, dis-outta-what? with a course a puzzled face. I then speak slower and clearer and then sound it out, dis-auto-know-me-a. This condition affects over 70 million people. It’s often referred to as “the most common medical condition you have not heard of,” yet!
I’m going to campaign for change. Change with how little research is out there, change how little information and education hospital and health care workers have on how to provide care to individuals with this, change how long it takes to get tested and diagnosed with this, and change how little the public knows about this condition and how it affects so many people, both caregivers and patients.
When my mom and I heard that Dysautonomia patients only get 18 cents per patient for research compared to the $100-200 dollars per patient for medical conditions like MS and Parkinson which affects one million people vs 70 million, I was of course sadden and then the sadness turned to my new job and journey.
I know a job at 10 years old, sounds kind of silly but so is this lack of awareness for something that affects so many. It’s no wonder I’ve had to see 10-15 doctors in the past few years and also received so very few answers until I was referred to Stanford. I really don’t think I can remember most of the doctors names but did recognize almost immediately that Dysautonomia was not widely studied or heard of.
Again I know I’m only ten but I still feel pretty accomplished that I was able to raise $1,000 from a cupcake for a cure fundraiser I put on last December and another $600.00 from sales on a Team Aubrey Dysautonomia awareness t-shirt I sell.
These funds go to Dysautonomia International to help provide more research and awareness efforts. Dysautonomia International is a non-profit that helps campaign for more support and research. I’m one of their youngest youth advocates. A badge I wear proudly.
A documentary was recently done on me too last year (in October) and this ended up helping a boy at my school get an earlier diagnosis. I also have two pen-pals my age with the same condition, their parents contacted my mom after watching the documentary. I feel less alone having my pen-pal buddies. Many people with chronic medical conditions feel often alone and isolated.
Dysautonomia is often referred to as a invisible illness and therefore people have a hard time understanding or seeing what I and others struggle with on a daily basis. Not my own pals, though, we get one another. Our parents also have more of a support unit now too, the caregivers.
Being an athlete, too, with a “invisible illness” also really throws people off. Apparently, people with chronic medical conditions are supposed to just be their diagnosis, “chronically ill.” That makes me so frustrated and I’ve tried to include in most of my talks at proclamation acceptances and school presentations this famous quote my Temple Grandin, “see the person not the label.” I can do the same things as other people just in a different way. I’m hoping in the next year or so to also apply for a Tedx Talk.
I recently did a podcast at my school about dysautonomia and had a lot of fun spreading awareness. One other goal this coming year is getting California’s State Capital or Capital Mall bridge to light the building or bridge with turquoise lights. Turquoise is the campaign color for this important health matter.
I tried this past year in turned in a petition with over 500 signatures. Unfortunately, I never heard a response back. It’s okay, a minor bump in the road. I’m determined to keep pressing on and reaching new heights this coming year.
I leave saying this, “Little girls with big dreams become woman with visions.”