Saxony soccer player inspires teammates, others

While people with physical challenges may be justified in focusing on those challenges, some are inspired to excel in spite of what they face. In so doing, they unwittingly inspire others. Saxony Lutheran High School senior Heather Wills is one such person.

As a student-athlete, Wills works hard to win. She's played basketball for Saxony, but is most at home on the soccer field. There's really nothing unusual about that; many students maintain academic success while juggling multiple sports, but not many do it with one blind eye. Wills does.

By 3 years old, she had endured nine surgeries to combat the glaucoma with which she was diagnosed at age 2. Surgeries that proved unsuccessful passed down the verdict: complete blindness in her left eye and the need for a prosthetic eye. That could have been a sentence to a sedentary lifestyle, but it was not. The next year, she began playing soccer.

It goes without saying that it hasn't been easy; anyone who has competed athletically knows sports are difficult enough with both eyes. That's why we hear praise like, "She sees the whole field so well" or "Good eye!" If everyone could do it, it wouldn't be worth mentioning. On a soccer field, players are running to and fro, back and forth, and the ball is head-butted, kicked and tossed. It can be quite chaotic, and Wills goes out and competes in that environment. She has, therefore, gained the respect of her teammates, her coach -- and the Southeast Missourian.

"She's never used it as an excuse," Sam Sides, the athletic director at Saxony and Wills' basketball coach, told the Missourian. This has paid off, as she has a chance to play collegiate soccer, the offer coming from Missouri Baptist.

Wills' perseverance is noteworthy, but she's not some straight-laced crusader. In fact, she's quite the character. Just mention her name and those who know her laugh because she exudes a certain kind of quirkiness that uplifts others.

"She'll say some things that are kind of off the wall. She's got a quirky sense of humor, but she's fun to be around," Sides said.

Her soccer coach, Garrett Fritsche, affectionately added, "She's a mess. She really is."

She's "quirky" and a "mess," but Heather Wills is also an inspiration. She is doing admirable things, and now, she wants to take what she once deemed a detriment and turn it into a blessing.

"I think at first, I struggled with it and it got to me, but I learned how to deal with it and look at the positive side of it and maybe one day show people who face a setback to push through it," she said.