Howard University alum, Sydney Satchell is preparing for her big debut at the 2024 Paris Paralympics as part of Team USA sitting volleyball.
Satchell always dreamed of competing at the Olympics. She played lacrosse during her college career, hoping to be the first Black woman on the U.S. lacrosse team.
Shortly after graduating from Howard, she got into a car accident that pinned her leg between the tire and door.
She faced a difficult choice: continue with painful dead tissue removal surgeries or amputate the leg. She chose to amputate.
“With the grace of God, with his peace, I made a decision to amputate," she said. "And it has been the best decision of my life."
Before her accident, Sydney had never played volleyball before, but she enjoyed watching it at Howard. She fell in love with the sport and joined the U.S. national team in 2019.
“Some people ask me, they say, 'Satch, if you could do it all over again and you could have your leg back – your foot back really – would you do it?' and the answer’s no. I have so much zeal, so much appreciation for life because of what I went through, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything,” Satchell said.
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Sydney won a team bronze at the world championships in 2022. She fell short of the 2022 Tokyo Paralympics but said it only strengthened her faith and determination.
“I am wide-eyed, bushy-tailed, excited to be representing God, representing my family, representing USA and representing so many other people around the world,” she said.
