Challenged Athletes Foundation Blog

CAF athlete Denise Castelli, a below-knee amputee, had the honor of being selected as one of CNN’s “Lucky 7″ members of the 2012 Fit Nation Triathlon Challenge. As part of  this honor, CNN has posted Denise’s first blog. Read below and for more information about CNN’s Fit Nation, visit http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/fit.nation/.
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By Denise Castelli

I’ve learned a lot about support over these past few years.  I often stop and think to myself that I don’t know where I’d be without my family, friends, the support of my community and the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

In April 2008, I was your ordinary senior in college.  Well, maybe not entirely ordinary. I was an NCAA softball player, as well as a dean’s list student at the University of New Haven in West Haven, Connecticut. I was only looking forward to my next journey: Life after college.  With graduation around the corner, I couldn’t help but think about the world of possibilities that were out there for me.

But on April 22, 2008, tragedy struck. During one of the final games of that season (and ultimately my career), I took off from first base on a steal, headed for second and broke my leg.  I can still remember hearing the snap and the instant pain that I felt.

Up until this point in my life, I had never really experienced a moment that was so heartbreaking.  I couldn’t finish out my senior year (including  the NCAA tournament) or play in my senior game, and the chances of me walking across the stage at graduation looked slim.  I wish I knew then, how little all these things would matter to me in the months to come.

I wish I knew then what I know now.

To make the longest, most epic medical story short, I ended up with an infection in my broken leg.  I would spend the next 18 months of my life battling that infection. After osteomyelitis (an acute or chronic bone infection) set in, I soon lost complete circulation in my foot.  An amputation was inevitable.  On November 4, 2009 I had my right leg amputated below the knee and my world, as I knew it, ended.

I wish I could tell you that the first month or so after my amputation was filled with optimism and hope, but sadly, it wasn’t.  I really wanted to do nothing but lay around in my bed and cry.  I had no idea which direction to take or who to even reach out to.  That’s when fate stepped in and decided to make it happen.

My prosthetist had heard about a one day running/mobility clinic held by the Challenged Athletes Foundation. With nowhere else to turn and very little confidence under my belt, I went.  That day changed my life.  My eyes were opened to an entire world of people who were not only amputees, but also athletes in every sense of the word.  From that day on, I was determined to not let this amputation beat me.  I had to find a way to not just survive, but thrive.
And that’s exactly what I did.

So what does Fit Nation mean to me?  In one word: EVERYTHING!  It means having the life that I used to have.  It means being active, being competitive, having a purpose.  Though I do have some fears (okay, maybe more than some) about becoming a triathlete, I realize that they’re the same fears I had when I faced my amputation.  I’ve never let the fear of the unknown stop me before and I’m not going to let that happen now.

So, yes, on November 4, 2009, my world as I knew it, did end. But the beauty of it is that an entire new world opened up to me.

By: CAF Staffer and athlete, Nick Roumonada aka RunNickRun

That’s what CAF does; we get people back in the game of life through sports. I was reminded of this very thing as I stepped up to the plate  during a Sport Chalet  hosted softball game  that I attended with fellow CAF athlete Denise Castelli , (a game that left me more sore than a 20 mile training run, but more on  that later).  The last time I had stepped up to bat was when I was 12 years old (that’s 22 years ago) and after I foul tipped the first pitch the first thing that came out of my mouth was, “look out guys, the last time I did this I had 2 legs!”

The softball game was part of the launch of a very exciting new partnership for CAF with Sport Chalet and their desire to use what they know best, SPORTS, to give back.

Sport Chalet asked us to speak at their annual managers meeting and play in their softball tournament the next day.  For me, one of the best parts of working at CAF is having the opportunity to meet, spend time with and sometimes even mentor other incredibly inspirational people. One such athlete is Denise Castelli from New Jersey.  Denise is a fired-up collegiate softball player from Jersey who some might say got a tough break in life (literally), but has taken what life has given her and run with it. Denise played softball for the University of New Haven in Connecticut and was one of the Chargers’ speediest base runners. In one life-changing game, with no outs, she got the steal sign, took off for second, and broke into an awkward slide. Her right leg got caught under her left and she felt it snap. She crawled to the base before the tag, but she knew her leg was broken. She had no idea, though, of the complications that would follow and after 37 surgeries, she had to have her right leg amputated. Not only has she bounced back from her own challenge, but she has come back on top! Most recently Denise was a featured ball person at the 2011 US Open. Not only did she qualify for the position, but she ended working in MAJOR matches saved for only the best athletes.

The night before the big game, Denise and I were asked to speak to the Sport Chalet’s retail managers to kick off their busy holiday season. Now that I’ve had the honor of presenting to a number of our supporters, I was feeling pretty confident about my portion of the evening, but Denise on the other hand, was feeling a bit of pressure. I simply reminded her on our long drive up to just speak from the heart, no one knows your story better than you and just by getting up there, the audience will love you. She did great!  After our video presentation was over, and I was done rambling on, Denise got up there and stole the show. She spoke from the heart, told her story about learning to run again at one of our clinics, gave her thanks to Sport Chalet for supporting CAF and coined the theme for the rest of the evening, “Congratulations to all of you at Sport Chalet, you are now in the business of giving back.”

As for the softball tournament the next day; it was HIGHLY competitive and Denise and I set on opposing teams. After playing 7 games each, luck will have it, she and I ended up playing each other in the championship game.  During that final game I must have lost track of the score because I was told later that my triple in the 9th put my team in the lead and later, gave us the win.  I was too busy reveling in the fact that I was in the game… I was “playing” again! When I lost my leg at the age of 13, I thought I had lost the ability to ever “play” again. I was wrong because 17 years later, and thanks to the good work of organizations like CAF and Sport Chalet, Denise, I and so many others, are back in the game.  Stepping back up to the plate and seeing Denise standing out there in the outfield, as an amputee athlete, really made me stop and say, “thank you.”

A huge thank-you to Sport Chalet for not only hosting Denise and I but for allowing us to show your employees the value of their commitment and how great it is to be in the business of giving back.

One last highlight just for Denise: I’ll make sure and keep the (MY) trophy shiny until next year’s rematch!