Photo by Leighton Rushing

With her hand on her heart, sophomore Cirye Carpenter listens to the national anthem before the game against Mansfield April 7.

Doctors milled about, looking at test results and whispering furiously. Sophomore Cirye Carpenter sat amidst the beeping machines and bright lights, anxiously anticipating the diagnosis she had waited on for a month. 

In December 2024, doctors told Carpenter she had Anomalous Aortic Origin Of The Left Coronary Artery, a condition so rare doctors struggled to figure out the diagnosis from her tests in November that same year.

“I had been out of my element in softball for like two years because of my health,” Carpenter said. “It honestly sucked.”

Carpenter began playing softball at age 4, but took a break because of her condition. Anomalous Aortic Origin Of The Left Coronary Artery restricts blood flow to the heart, which can lead to chest pain, shortness of breath and fainting, especially during exercise.

“It was pretty rough, to be frank,” Carpenter said. “I had to stop doing a lot of things for my safety.”

On Feb. 6-7, Carpenter endured a 13-hour heart surgery that failed. However, they quickly found a donor and took her back into surgery the next day. This eight-hour surgery ended up a success, and Carpenter began her recovery and her return to softball. Coach Terry Tiffee oversaw her return.

“She is a solid player and is improving every day,” Coach Tiffee said, “Of course, she was a little slow to start, but we got her back in shape and she has only progressed in a good way since then.”

Carpenter aimed for a quick recovery, being released after just five days in the hospital. Now, Coach Tiffee works with Carpenter during practices and helps meet her needs based on her condition. 

“Her condition doesn’t really affect her playing at all,” Coach Tiffee said. “The only thing is that if we do a lot of conditioning, she sometimes has to take a break based on her heart rate, but that usually isn’t an issue.”

In her everyday life, Carpenter reports upper body restriction during some workouts, chest pain, accelerated heart rate and bad blood pressure and cholesterol. 

“We have the AED and try to pay attention to the signs and her feedback,” Coach Tiffee.

Back in her element, Carpenter continues to play on the softball team, pushing through her rare circumstances and working to become stronger every day.

“I honestly thought I was going to have a good comeback, but people don’t really talk about the struggle of getting back on track and catching back up to everyone,” Carpenter said. “It took me a while to catch back up to my girls, but I got there. It feels good to be back out there.”