Jessarai
Mendez probably shouldn’t have lived more than a day.
Shortly
after she was born, Mendez stopped breathing, terrifying her mother, Eunice
Lara.
“At
first, my sister and I thought it was the reflection from the light filtering
through the bassinet that turned her purple,” said Lara, “but my mom took a
closer look and saw that Jessarai had stopped breathing.”
Fortunately,
Lara’s mother knew the doctors and nurses, so there was an “abundant” amount of
help by their side. They were able to get Mendez breathing, but when doctors
ran tests, they found she had cerebral palsy, or CP.
Occurring
before or shortly after birth, CP is a mysterious disorder. Often, doctors
don’t know the exact cause. Such is the case with Mendez.
“They
couldn’t give me a reason she was born that way,” said Lara.
In
Mendez, the CP damaged the part of her brain that controls the right side of
her body. However, she made this seemingly huge disability appear small by not
letting it stop her from doing what she loves: playing softball.
In
the Beginning
Mendez
has always been fearless, even as a young child. Lara recalled a specific time when
she had to do some repairs on their house.
“I
climbed up on the roof to fix [the lights],” said Lara, “and when I turned
around, there she was, on the roof with me.”
So,
she never thought twice when Mendez’ older brother, Ruben Mendez, came up with
the idea for her to play softball. He had seen Jim Abbott, a former Major
League Baseball pitcher born without a right hand, pitching when the thought hit
him.
“I
wondered if she could handle playing softball,” said Mendez’ older brother,
“but if Jim Abbott could play, she could play.”
Of
course, even without her brother’s suggestion, Mendez probably would have
picked up the sport anyway because everyone in her family plays baseball or
some form of softball.
“Cousins,
nieces, it’s a family thing,” said Lara. “We all play something.”
So
the journey began. Mendez worked with her mother and brother to try to figure
out the most effective way to do the basics of softball: fielding and batting.
“My
mom taught me to catch the ball, drop it, tuck my glove under my right arm,
pick up the ball, and throw it,” said Mendez.
Lara
also had to come up with a unique way to bat. Because Mendez couldn’t hit the
ball where she wanted by using her arms to angle the ball, her mom taught her
to step in the direction she wanted to hit it.
Both
mother and daughter credit each other for overcoming these obstacles. Mendez
largely believes it was her mom who taught her these skills, while her mom sees
it differently.
“Her
brother thought she could play and we both worked with her, but she figured it
out by herself,” said Lara.
Eventually,
Mendez was able to master her unique techniques enough to play in the city
league in her hometown, Delano, Calif.
Amazing
from Day 1
As
one can imagine, Mendez’ playing style stood out. During her games, parents and
fans from nearby fields would come over to watch her play.
“One
of my co-workers told me, ‘I didn’t know that was your daughter, a lot of
people watch her and are amazed’,” said Lara.
Even
Lara found herself amazed by some of the things her daughter would do.
“Sometimes
she would have a seizure in the morning, and by four o’clock be ready to go out
on the field,” said Lara.
Nothing
was out of the ordinary for Mendez, though.
“I
would have seizures early in the morning, so I would sleep them off,” said
Mendez. “It wouldn’t occur to me that I had [a seizure], so once I woke up, I
would carry on my day like nothing happened.”
Although
she was improving on the field, Mendez’ condition was not. She still was
uncoordinated; as her mom remembers, she was “all over the place.” She also had
little movement on the right side of her body.
With
family and better treatment in the area, Mendez and Lara could hear Springdale
calling their names.
Moving
to Springdale
They
initially moved to Springdale in November of Mendez’ sophomore year, but moved
back to California the following May. Finally, a month later, they returned to
Springdale for good.
“I
was excited to be close to [my mom’s side] of the family,” said Mendez.
For
Lara, the move was positive all the way around.
“We
wanted to get closer to [our family],” said Lara. “Also, California wasn’t
giving Jessarai the help she needed.”
Once
in Springdale, Mendez’ mom got her started in physical therapy to try to expand
the range of motion of her right arm and increase her balance.
“I
haven’t tried new things with my arm,” said Mendez, “but with the things I
[could] already do, it’s easier for me and less of a struggle.”
Better
balance and a little more motion in her right arm, along with a modified
throwing technique (now tucking her glove under her right arm, then getting the
ball and throwing it without dropping it first), Mendez was ready to take her
game to a new level.
Becoming
a Bulldog
Mendez
had only played softball in a city league in California, but never for a school
team. With encouragement from former Bulldog teammate Sabrina Alonzo, she came
out for the Springdale Bulldogs’ softball team this season.
Alonzo,
now a senior at Bentonville High, had first hour English with Mendez. She was
constantly telling her to try out for the Bulldogs, but Mendez was reluctant.
“I
was in yearbook, so I had to pick between softball and yearbook,” said Mendez.
Ultimately,
she chose to try out for softball and drop yearbook. At the tryouts, her unique
style of play immediately was noticed by other girls already on the team.
“I
couldn’t believe it,” said junior Laura Worthen. “I’d never seen anyone do that
before.”
Worthen
was “amazed” at Mendez’ ability to play, as were most others. In fact,
according to Worthen, Mendez was “better than other girls that were there
without a disability.”
Mendez
continued to amaze teammates as she made the team and even played for the
junior varsity team.
Starting
out at second base, Mendez soon moved to first base because second base
required her to move to her right more than she was capable. Even with limited
abilities, teammates were awed.
“I
was impressed at how well she could field and hit,” said Worthen.
However,
more so than her actual play, her teammates respected Mendez for playing with a
disability.
“It
was awesome that she played,” said freshman Indica Taylor. “I would not have
the courage to even try out for a sport.”
SHS
softball coach Angela Taylor wasn’t worried when Mendez talked to her about
playing because she had medical clearance and her parents approved. She was
actually excited.
“She
had a great attitude and could do everything she needed to do. It was good for
her to be a part of the team,” said Taylor. “She showed some of the girls that
you can overcome boundaries.”
All
of the softball girls have different stories about Mendez, but one thing seems
to remain constant: her courage and will to play softball, more than her
disability, sets her apart from the average softball player.
More
than Softball
Mendez
just wanted to play softball, but her disability wouldn’t allow it. It made her
do much MORE than play softball. Whether it was amazing parents on the fields
in Delano or inspiring her teammates at Springdale High, Mendez’ playing
softball has impacted other people’s lives.
Sure,
like any player of any sport, she gets frustrated when she makes mistakes, but
her mom is always there to calm her.
“I
just tell her to breathe and think about what she did and how she can fix it,”
said Lara.
Although
Lara admits she’s “a little tough on” her middle child, she still considers her
the “flower in the middle,” a gift she almost lost at birth.
Nowadays,
Lara and Mendez find inspiration from stories in the news about people
overcoming disabilities, such as a boy from North Carolina with CP who ran a
marathon.
“Knowing
that other people deal with [CP], it motivates and inspires her,” said Lara.
“Nothing can stop her.”
Someday,
instead of hearing and reading about such stories of inspiration, Mendez may
tell her own story of courage and perseverance.
“Maybe
seeing me playing something I love, it will show [others] that they can do the
same,” said Mendez.
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