October 7, 2016 (Notre Dame, Ind.) — On Tuesday, the Saint Mary's softball team "drafted" Clay High School sophomore Keeaira Obert through Team IMPACT. Keeaira was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in September of 2015. She has endured intense chemotherapy since then, including seven rounds lasting 5-7 days at a time. Currently she is in remission and continues to goes in for monthly check-up appointments.
Keeaira is the third Team IMPACT player to join a Saint Mary's Athletic Team including 13-year-old Melody Blower, who joined the volleyball team this past spring, and 12-year-old Bryanna Sikora, who joined the Saint Mary’s basketball team in 2014.
Click to watch WNDU and WSBT coverage of Keeaira’s signing during halftime of the soccer game at the newly opened Patricia Weidner Purcell Athletic Fields
Team IMPACT is an organization that improves the quality of life for children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses by matching them with local college athletic teams. Through these pairings, the organization has successfully enhanced the lives of hundreds of these courageous kids and positively impacted thousands of athletes’ lives across the country.