Age: 13
Hometown: Medford, OR
Diagnosis: Anomalous aortic origin of the right coronary artery
Shoe: Nike Air Max Dn8
Nothing can keep Raegan Scheid from playing the sports she loves – not even a congenital heart condition. A lifelong athlete, Raegan couldn’t figure out why she felt so tired and dizzy at practices and games. After lots of appointments and tests, doctors discovered that one of her coronary arteries was connected to the wrong side of her heart.
Even after open-heart surgery at Doernbecher to fix the issue, Raegan refused to stay on the sidelines for long. “I’ve never pushed myself so hard,” she admitted. “When the nurses gave me a goal to get up and walk three times a day, I did it six times.” Her hard work paid off – Raegan played in her first softball tournament just nine weeks after surgery and has set her sights on playing Division 1 softball as soon as she gets to college.
Raegan’s determination is matched only by her creativity, which is evident on her one-of-a-kind Nike Air Max Dn8. The upper is covered with reflective sport graphics, while the Nike Air bubbles have softball stitching to represent Raegan’s favorite sport.
Since Raegan’s happy place is at the beach, frothy waves splash across the midsole. Her golden retriever, Blue, shows up as a lace charm. Also featured is the date of her surgery and the day she started playing softball again. And to help carry you forward in challenging times, Raegan shared the words that keep her going: I CAN DO HARD THINGS.
Although Raegan plans to become a nurse someday, she’s already finding ways to support kids facing medical challenges. In addition to volunteering as a Doernbecher peer mentor, Raegan saved up her allowance and donated hundreds of heart-shaped stress balls to the cardiac unit.
“Our team still continues to give them to young patients and tell Raegan’s story,” said Annie Kachman, a nurse practitioner on Raegan’s team. “We’ll always be inspired by her positive attitude and selfless heart.”
“A hero is someone who inspires you to keep going and take on new challenges.”
