She was once told she might not live past 10. Now, she's pursuing her sports dream

Carydad Bolivar felt the pain, but didn’t think it was that severe.

A dive to the ground on the softball field, routine for one of the county’s best infielders, led to three broken ribs that day.

But that was nothing compared to the pain Bolivar already had been used to years ago.

The pain she felt when she spent most of her formative years in and out of hospitals and facing doctors who didn’t think she would live to see her teenage years.

“When I was little I really didn’t know what was going on,” Bolivar said. “My parents never threw in the towel. That’s what helped me.”

When Bolivar was 6 years old, she was diagnosed with Auto Immune Atrophic Gastritis, a rare chronic inflammatory disease in which the immune system destroys parietal cells in the stomach that’s typically found in adults older than 50.

Bolivar was the first child to be diagnosed with the disease in the United States. She was also diagnosed with Hypo Gamma Globulin and Pernicious Anemia.

In addition to causing her intense stomach pains, the disease drastically affected Bolivar’s immune system, forcing her to wear a mask to avoid contracting illnesses.

Bolivar wanted to play sports, but was unable to because of her condition.

“When I was around 5 or 6 I got really bad stomach pains and I was constantly going to the hospital,” Bolivar said. “The doctors thought I might not live past 10. My mom never believed them. She took me to doctors everywhere until I got better.”

Bolivar’s parents took her to visit specialists all over the country — Boston and Baltimore among them.

Fearing Bolivar’s condition could worsen or lead to stomach cancer when she was around 7, a doctor proposed a treatment plan of chemotherapy along with IVIG infusion therapy for the next 18 months.

After the arduous process, Bolivar began to see results and feel stronger.

In fifth grade, Bolivar could finally take up sports.

"I started playing volleyball, softball and basketball,” Bolivar said.

At an age where doctors originally believed she might succumb to her disease, Bolivar began to play youth travel softball.

It didn’t take long for her to become a standout in softball and volleyball.

She would eventually play both in at Braddock High, where she become a captain for both of those school’s teams.

Ever since she began coaching Bolivar her freshman season, Braddock softball and volleyball coach Adanais Marcote has marveled at her resilience.

“Despite these significant obstacles, Cary has never stopped doing what she loves,” Marcote said. “She is a true role model to her peers and an inspiration to all.”

Bolivar, who was honored Wednesday morning with the Miami Herald’s Leo Suarez/Walter Krietsch Courage Award — given annually to individuals in the sports community who have overcome adversity — played libero for the Bulldogs’ volleyball team and become a solid defender.

But she really made her niche in softball where she has earned two All-Dade first-team honors each of the past three seasons and has earned a full scholarship to play at Broward College.

Bolivar still had to take several pills a day even after her condition improved. But through the years, her dependency on medication has subsided as she has become stronger.

Bolivar must take vitamin B-12 shots when her levels of iron get low for the rest of her life, and she has been occasionally hospitalized for iron infusions.

But still she has pressed on both on athletically and in the classroom, where she maintains a 4.0 GPA.

“When she gets hit by the ball, or gets hurt in any way, I call a timeout and give her a [vitamin B-12] pill immediately,” Marcote said. “Her body doesn’t feel pain like the rest of us, so this pill triggers a response to release chemicals, this prevents her body from going into shock.”

Through it all, Bolivar has rarely missed any action in either sport.

She still goes to the doctor at least once a year for a thorough checkup, but has been able to have a routine diet and live a normal life.

Bolivar said she may pursue a career in the medical field after softball inspired by all her experience dealing with physicians through the years as she recovered.

In any case, Bolivar’s perseverance should help her against any challenges she may face in our out of athletics.

“If I could handle all of that, I’m pretty sure I could handle everything else,” Bolivar said. “As far as softball goes and even as far as my future I feel like I could handle anything.”

This story was originally published May 23, 2018 at 12:01 PM with the headline "She was once told she might not live past 10. Now, she's pursuing her sports dream."