O’Fallon Christian volleyball star returns from heart ailment to help lead team to first-ever state title
O’FALLON, Mo. (BVM) — Addie Lyon and her volleyball teammates at O’Fallon Christian High School got to experience the joy of a lifetime by winning the program’s first state title this fall. But just over a year before one of the best moments of her life, Lyon experienced one of the worst that left her wondering if she would ever get to play volleyball again.
Lyon first began playing volleyball around 8 years old while growing up in Wisconsin. She and her family eventually moved to St. Louis, where she continued on with a sport that her family has quite the background in.
“Both my parents played so I became interested and I was always in the gym,” Lyon said. “It looked fun and my dad loved it. I’ve made so many friends through the years and have become mentally stronger and learned the attributes of being a leader.”
In fact, Lyon’s father, Todd, was a former college player who has mentored his daughter from the start.
“I have always been in the gym with him from a young age,” Addie added. “I have learned many things both on and off the court from him.”
Through the years, Addie developed into a star setter. She grew up playing with a local club that her dad began in Wisconsin, and joined the Rockwood Thunder when she moved to Missouri.
As she entered high school at O’Fallon Christian, Addie continued her strong play, helping her team to an undefeated season her freshman year until a loss in districts. While her team would lose in the same round again the following season, Addie enjoyed the team bond, as well as being coached by her dad for the final time.
“They were both amazing and fun seasons,” Addie said about her first two years of high school volleyball. “My dad got to coach me again and my teammates were incredible.”
Addie was poised to improve yet again during her junior season. But on Sept. 1, 2019, everything would change.
Around 9:30 that morning, Addie’s mom walked into her room, and found her lying unconscious. After her mom immediately called 9-1-1 and performed CPR, Addie was rushed to the hospital.
Despite not having any kind of heart issues prior, Addie had gone into cardiac arrest. Just hours into her time in the emergency room, she would go into cardiac arrest a second time. The now 17-year-old was soon transferred to St. Louis Children’s Hospital, where she unfortunately suffered two more heart attacks.
A time of complete shock and utter disbelief of what was going on created many hours of angst and nervousness for Addie and her family.
“It was a terrifying time for my family because we didn’t know what was happening and why,” Addie said. “The doctors didn’t have any answers for us.”
After three long and stressful days, doctors finally revealed that Addie had Long QT syndrome, which is a heart rhythm condition that can cause irregular heartbeats often leading to complications including fainting or seizures.
While serious, Addie and her family learned it was manageable through a few different medications that she will be taking for the remainder of her life. The volleyball star also had an internal pacemaker/defibrillator implanted.
But remarkably, Addie was back out on the court by December, and was a full-go by the new year. Of course, that did mean she missed the remainder of her junior season at O’Fallon Christian, which was a bittersweet time.
“It was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do because I love the game so much,” Addie explained. “However, I did learn a lot about the game from a different perspective. The second I could be back in the gym cheering on my team I was. Being around them helped tremendously because they were so encouraging and loving. I wanted to contribute in any way I could for them.”
While Addie was in the hospital recovering, the roles were reversed. She credits her family, teammates, friends and coaches for helping to keep her spirits up during the tough times.
“My family was my rock and never left my side,” the 17-year-old said. “And all of my friends, teammates and coaches came to visit me daily during my two-week stay in the hospital. They kept me distracted and gave me hope that my life could and would go back to normal.”
Prior to her heart ailment, Addie was enjoying a great volleyball career with a lot of potential. After this past fall, it is clear that potential still remains, as Addie has begun writing a comeback story for the ages.
Although understandably nervous, the O’Fallon Christian senior was able to play in club volleyball tournaments throughout last winter. During the spring and summer, Addie continued to work out at home while also getting a personal trainer.
Her offseason work set the stage for a special senior season last fall. A position change to middle blocker created an exciting new challenge for Addie, but she was finally ready to get back out on the court at O’Fallon Christian for the first time since her incident.
“My goals coming into the season were to perform well enough to help my team be successful,” Addie said. “I was put in as a middle blocker and had to adjust to that new position. Being back on the court for our first home game back was the best feeling because I had made it so far from the year before.”
Adapting seamlessly to her new position, Addie helped O’Fallon Christian all the way to the state championship game. Although there were ups and downs throughout the fall, to make it all the way to the state final match was very rewarding.
“Our record may not have shown it but we had fun and continued to work and compete regardless of who we played,” Addie said. “I was put into a different position that I didn’t know how to play but ended up learning it and loved playing it. I was extremely happy with my comeback and how well I did this season.
“We were looked at as underdogs from the beginning, but that’s what fired us up. If you asked me at the beginning of the season if I thought we could win state I would have said, ‘no way.’ But after seeing us play against some pretty competitive big schools, I started to believe we could.”
Addie was predictably nervous going into the state title match, but the excitement of playing on the big stage was all she and her teammates needed. A nail-biting match would go all the way to the fifth set, where the Eagles finally pulled away to win, 19-17.
It was O’Fallon Christian’s first girls volleyball state championship, and for Addie, her comeback was complete.
“I was honestly shocked when we won and I hugged my teammate and we both cried because of how proud we were,” Addie said. “The idea that we won the first state title in program history is incredible. It shows how hard we worked and how far we had come. I hope we leave behind that no matter the size or talent of your team, anything is possible if you want it badly enough.”
The high school chapter of Addie’s remarkable story is now complete. But she is ready to write another one in college, and will do so at the University of Missouri.
Addie began talking to Mizzou during her freshman year. She received interest from numerous other schools such as Iowa State, Saint Louis and Ohio State as well. But after a visit to campus, Addie knew there was only one place that felt like the perfect fit.
“I fell in love with the campus and the coaching staff made it feel like a family,” she said. “I also loved being close to home. I just knew it was the right fit for me and decided to commit.”
Excited to get on campus and join the Tigers, Addie hopes to contribute to her team’s success in any way she can. Although it is a few years off, post-college, the senior hopes to become a volleyball coach at the club or collegiate level.
While the last year-and-a-half has been a roller coaster for Addie, she has proved that no matter how tough a situation, a comeback is always possible. She is proud of the progress she has made, and hopes her story can serve as an inspiration for others.
“I am extremely healthy and proud of the comeback I’ve made,” Addie concluded. “For anyone in a similar situation, I would tell them that no matter the struggles you are going through now, it doesn’t have to stop you from pursuing what you love. Just because something bad happened doesn’t mean you give up on what you love.”
