BISHOP – Nothing could suppress the glow on the face of 14-year-old Audrey Norris as she climbed atop a horse named Garth on Saturday morning at the Georgia Equestrian Complex.
“This is really cool,” the young Thomaston native exclaimed, a wide smile stretched from ear to ear.
Yes, Saturday was a pretty cool day for the shy teenager, whose love of horses was rewarded when she “signed” a scholarship with the Georgia equestrian team, along with the help of an organization called Team Impact, which matches up young kids with health conditions with various sports programs across the country.
Many already know her story.
As a 12-year-old, Norris’ heart stopped while she was running track during her middle school’s field day.
School officials and paramedics rushed to her side. An AED (automated external defibrillator) was brought to conduct CPR.
During the helicopter flight over to Scottish Rite hospital, Norris was stable but unconscious. It wasn’t until they arrived at the hospital that she regained consciousness, but that was just the first step in what’s been a long and grueling journey back to health, for Audrey and her family.
It was ultimately discovered that Norris suffered from premature ventricular contractions, a condition where the heart skips a beat, and in this case, caused cardiac arrest.
In the months that passed, Norris wore a defibrillator vest to monitor her heart rate. She now has a service dog named Sibley, which has been trained to detect any issues should they occur.
Norris still is able to smile, despite all she’s been through and continues to deal with today.
“I don’t think I could have handled it as well. I think because she has been so tough, it’s made it easier for us as parents because everything about her, her identity was snatched from her,” mom Bethany Norris said. “Everything that made her who she was stolen, and she can’t have that again. The fact that she’s never once complained, never once said this isn’t fair, she’s just gone with it. It’s really incredible.”
Inside the team locker room, Norris was honored by the Bulldog equestrian team, where head coach Meghan Boenig presented her with an honorary scholarship, along with a basket of goodies before she was allowed to climb atop a horse for the first time since her incident occurred.
Norris and mom Bethany weren’t the only ones smiling.
Her father Matt, a longtime subscriber of UGASports.com, said Saturday’s signing and opportunity to ride a horse once again meant more to his daughter than anyone would ever know.
“I feel it gave her something to look forward to. She’s the kid that everybody knows had (a cardiac arrest), and she’s really not the kind of kid who wants to stand out, but she can’t. Everybody knows her,” Matt Norris said. “She’s handled it really well, not riding horses, but if it wasn’t for the UGA Equestrian Team and Team Impact doing this, she would really be more depressed about it.”
During the signing ceremony, Audrey’s eyes swelled with tears as team members applauded in appreciation.
“Now, that she’s officially a part of this team, she was crying yesterday. She was talking about it; I belong to something again,” Bethany Norris said. “She’s never going to be allowed to compete again athletically. Her cardiologist has said she can do yoga, so this is really the only way she can be part of a team.”
For Boenig and the members of Georgia’s equestrian team, this was also a special day.
“To see Audrey, open up, be loved by this team and us to her, it humbles us, it makes our hearts grow. It’s just a special thing to be a part of,” Boenig said. “We get caught up in Xs and Os, just like everybody else somedays, so to have this reminder, to have this passion for someone is important.”
For doting dad Matt, just seeing his little girl smiling and happy was all he needed to see.
“It gives her a sense of normalcy, but also a belonging and lets her do her passion,” he said. “She has loved horses and UGA since she was a little girl. I’m happy that she got to do this. It means the world to me to see her happy.”
