Submitted by Isabella Schultz, Thomas More University student

To the blind eye, Thomas More junior Emily Acito (women’s volleyball) may seem like your average collegiate athlete. She learned how to excel early-on on the volleyball court as a six-rotation outside hitter, and in the classroom as a nursing major. Some people may even assume that everything in her life comes easily to her and that she is living the dream life; a life that most aspiring young athletes hope to achieve someday. 

However, those close to Emily know that her life has been anything but easy. She once went from a young, joyful athlete to fighting for her life in the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit). At just the age of 14, she thought that she would never be able to play volleyball again, and never to be able to fulfill her dream of becoming a collegiate athlete. A dream that she wanted more than anything in her life.

After making her high school’s JV volleyball team, one day she began coughing up blood and ended up being rushed to the hospital with no explanation as to why this was happening. She was then quickly transferred to the PICU where it was discovered that she had an undiagnosed lung condition.

“I was in and out of the PICU and went through very traumatic events including being put on life support,” states Emily. “I ended up having my entire right lung removed. The first thing I asked about when waking up from surgery was if I could still play volleyball.”

During her time at the hospital, volleyball was all she could think about. After such a traumatic event, she had to learn how to reinvent herself and relearn everything there was to volleyball. Just two months after her right lung was removed, she jumped right back into competition, determined and ready to play. However, she soon would learn that is wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought.

Due to her right shoulder muscles being cut to remove her lung, she had to go through an immense amount of rehab to regain her shoulder strength. She also was faced with challenges such as being out of breath from the simplest activities and having to learn to play a different position. She had to relearn how to endure volleyball again and how to regain her stamina.

Emily has had an immense amount of support from her parents, coaches, and trainers to push herself to her full potential in volleyball. In addition, Thomas More women’s volleyball coach Holly Bronner-Stiver, has had Emily’s back even before her time at Thomas More began.

Bronner-Stiver coaches at a local volleyball club, Northern Kentucky Junior Volleyball, and was Emily’s volleyball coach during her time on the 17U team. For Emily, Bronner-Stiver was a key factor in her decision to come to Thomas More, and she is grateful to have a coach like Bronner-Stiver in her life.

“[Emily] Has a very positive attitude and she is a good example of how to bounce back,” states Bronner-Stiver. “I have seen such a boost of confidence in her throughout the years and seeing her believe in herself.”

On the outside, Emily has a normal life. She enjoys normal college activities such as hanging out with friends and meeting new people, but the scar on her neck from her surgery will always be a reminder of how strong she is and how she did not allow a health scare get in the way of fulfilling her dreams.

She will always be grateful to the people who saved her life and repays them by not taking anything in life for granted. “Every touch, every practice, every game is something to be grateful for.”