Overcoming The Odds

North’s Dankers Signs Scholarship Despite Illness

McKinney North softball’s Liz Dankers takes nothing for granted. When Liz signed with Austin College in Sherman earlier this month she admitted to being a bit surprised that things turned out as they did

There are precious few scholarships available to high school seniors. Those few players who get looked at by colleges are in an elite group with nearly everything working in their favor.

Liz belongs in that group, but she hasn’t had an easy go of it. In fact, Liz battles a debilitating illness which has weakened her and very nearly knocked her out of athletics altogether.

"She’s just one of those kids who wants it so bad and enjoys being out here so much that she’s willing to do whatever she has to do," said North head coach Debbie Evans.

The migraines began when Liz was in eighth grade. They hit hard and they hit fast, leaving her nauseous and with vision problems. She dealt with these for six months before doctors diagnosed the problem as migraines.

Since then, Liz has tried just about every migraine medicine on the market. She has tried preventatives, Imitrex, seizure medications. Nothing worked. Even hormone treatments failed. Now, Liz takes strong narcotics when afflicted. Liz feels their effects.

"It seems like I’m always in a fog [the next day] whenever I try to go to class or practice," said Liz. "But I’ve been lucky, I haven’t had too many during game days."

Sheila Dankers has seen how hard her daughter has had to battle, particularly this year.

"It’s unbelievable what she’s had to endure, yet she’s still been an honor student," said Sheila. "That’s the hardest thing for a parent when you can’t fix things for your child."

Liz has maintained her place among the top 10 percent of her graduating class - and received academic scholarship offers from other colleges - despite a rough first semester which had Evans wondering if her speedy slap-hitter would be back for her senior season.

Evans and her coaching staff are aware of Liz’s battles and have acted accordingly. They allow her to miss practice for doctors’ appointments as needed and allow her to modify her practice. There are times when Liz is able to complete only half of the team practice.

"She’s good about regulating herself," Evans said. "If she needs to step out of a drill she’ll step out of a drill."

"The coaches have been really understanding," said Liz. "Coach Evans has been really great with helping when I have [migraines]. I just do what I can.

"I’ll work my butt off whenever I can, but sometimes I just can’t."

As if the migraines weren’t enough, Liz also suffers from asthma. Her inhaler is a constant companion, but Liz said she is afflicted less these days. Asthma strikes mainly when she runs and is suffering from allergies or the weather has turned cold.

"It’s hard, because that’s my main thing. I’m a runner, and my speed is what’s gotten me places in softball," Liz said. "Having asthma and being a person who needs to be able to run all the time has been a tricky thing."

It is important to note that Liz has never quit for even a brief period of time no matter how bad things have gotten. She was a call-up for the playoffs her freshman and sophomore seasons and has been a varsity player for the past two years. Through it all, Liz has never taken time away from the sport she loves, she has simply soldiered on.

"[Quitting] has entered my mind, just very briefly," Liz said. "Last fall, I was having [migraines] every single day and ended up having to go into the hospital three times. I was having a hard time keeping up with school and it seemed like that needed to be the focus, school over sports. But sports is one of the things that keeps me going.

"If I didn’t have softball it would be depressing."

Liz will have softball for at least four more years. Austin College head coach Edie Fletcher decided she wanted to take a chance on Liz’s speed and slap-hitting from the left side of the plate. Fletcher knew about Liz’s illness when she offered her the scholarship.

"[Coach Fletcher] and I had a long talk about Liz," Evans said. "I told her that Liz is a hard-working kid, and she’ll do whatever she has to do to play."

Liz and Austin College are a good fit. The program is in its second year of existence and all positions are open. Not to mention the fact that Austin College is a difficult school to qualify for academically. Liz, who wants to be an attorney and then a judge, said that after all she has had to endure she will succeed.

"I think [the migraines] have made me a stronger person because it’s harder to live a normal life when you’re having to take all these medicines all the time," she said. " I just want to live a normal everyday life."

"I’m really so proud of her," Sheila said. "She’s inspiring because she’s been so strong. She’s really had a lot to deal with."

Liz said she is sometimes in awe of how things worked out.

"I’m a little bit surprised because it seems like this last year everything has been really hard," she said. "But when I got into Austin College it made everything seem like its going a lot better, and it gives me something to look forward to."