Champions

by Jenna Mamorsky

Catherine is a true champion. No physical obstacle was going to stop her from achieving her dream. She would work hard, maybe a little harder than the others, and she would make her dream come true.

It all started in the third grade when Catherine Wechsler discovered that she had epilepsy. For about two years, generally at night or before she woke up in the morning, Catherine would have seizures and become unconscious. Benign Focal Seizures of Childhood is the disease she had, and she was told by her doctor, she would grow out of it by puberty. Catherine missed a lot of the third grade. A few times, she was put on toxic levels of drugs, and once she was on life support "just as a precaution," she said. But, she never let her disease interfere with her dream: cheerleading for the Mavericks. "I didn't want to be known as a sick child," explained Catherine. "I loved cheerleading. It made me stronger as a person."

Ignoring the advice of her doctor who advised her not to cheerlead because he was concerned that she would have a major seizure, Catherine never missed a cheerleading practice, loving the dancing and stunt routines of the sport. "It made me feel alive," she admitted in a recent interview. Her mom supported her every step of the way because she knew how important cheerleading was to Catherine. Catherine was determined to achieve what she set her mind to.

One day, she decided to stop taking the medicine, and miraculously her symptoms disappeared. Her doctor told her she would grow out of this condition, and she did, just before the start of sixth grade.