Gannon softball player sure has...

Mike Gallagher shares this inspirational story.

James- This is Gannon sophmore center fielder Hannah Koenig.  She has a great story to tell. At about age 8 she had a  rare heart condition that required surgery at PGH's Children's Hospital.  at  such a young age she remembered hearing her parents being told that the surgeon was attempting a procedure that was very difficult and that there was a very good chance that Hannah would not survive. Well not only did she survive- but for some strange reason the repairs that were made allowed the blood in her circulatory system to finally get the oxygen needed to keep her alive and also turn her into an overnight athletic superstar.  Dr. Richard Strazlyka a surgeon at Hamot explained to me that for the first 8 years of her life she loved sports but was struggling because her blood was not obtaining the oxygen she needed to live let alone play games like softball and basketball.  Once the risky operation was over and she had survived she was now like an athlete who had trained at a very high altitude. Her body responded to  having more than enough air getting to her vital organs by making her faster, stronger and over all a kid who went from being the last one picked on the playground to the one who scored the winning touchdown.
 
   Jim I thought I would pass her story on to you because we always talk about the great athletes in our area and how they have the heart  that makes them special. Well Hannah Koenig really has the Heart of a Champion. She was not supposed to survive. Well she did, beat the odds-and came from behind. She did not just manage to live-she went on to star in Softball and Basketball at McDowell. In her Senior year she was elected Homecoming Queen by her classmates. Now she is playing college softball close to home at Gannon. Her ordeal as a child is something she lives with everyday and she remembers it like it was yesterday. She decided as a kid that if she survived the 8 to ten hour heart procedure she would do something with her life to help kids  with heart disease. She is making good on her promise. Hannah is currently enrolled in the Physicians Assistant Program at Gannon and after receiving her degree in three more years will work in Pediatric Cardiology. She will provide care-hope and a real living example to sick children that there is always hope.
   Jim I have known Hannah for many years, my five children idolize her and yes even my sons are willing to admit that best athlete in the neighborhood is the girl down the street  There is no question Gannon University is a better school because Hannah Koenig is a Student there. Gannon Softball is better because Hannah Koenig is on the team. The world we live in is a better place because  just over a decade ago a Doctor was able to operate on a little girls heart and save her life. That little girl is number 11 in your Gannon Media Guide but will always be number one in our HEARTS!

Jim I went to the Gannon Mercyhurst double header the other day to take some pictures for Hannah and her teammates. When I emailed them to her this weekend she called me. With everything going on in her life she did not just says thanks and hang up. Instead she stayed on the phone for 20 minutes talking about anything and everything. As I hung up the phone I remembered her story. I thought wow how lucky am to have to have a real life miracle, and superstar student athlete that my kids can not just idolize but can also call her their friend. 


    Mike Gallagher shares this inspirational story.