GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Andrea Hampton's nickname since birth has been Speedie and she’s always lived up to it.
Playing hockey and softball for her entire life, it was no surprise when she decided to go to Ferris State to earn a degree in recreation sports management. She was a lifelong athlete but things changed for her in 2011 when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
She has been working with doctors to alleviate the symptoms of the autoimmune disorder but her ability to walk was compromised in the last few years, which resulted in her having to adapt to a new way to play sports.
Through Mary Free Bed she has participated in softball, sled hockey, fencing, lacrosse and, most recently, wheelchair basketball. She’s also a coach for youth athletes at the Mary Free Bed YMCA in Grand Rapids.
Her trip to the Meijer State Games last February earned her a first-place medal in fencing, and her coach nominated her for the athlete of the year award. She found out in October that she was selected as one of the four winners and was thrilled to earn that honor. Although her condition has gradually worsened since her initial diagnosis, Speedie says that she just continues to live day to day, playing the sports that she loves.
“Honestly I’m just living for me. I’m doing everything for me. Now if someone says, ‘Oh, you’re such an inspiration' or ‘Oh, it’s cool that you’re still doing your thing,’ I’m like, ‘Okay, that’s cool; thanks, I appreciate that,’ but I’m just doing me. I love the fact that I can work here and no one has ever been down on me because I’m in a wheelchair and coaching their kids,” said Speedie.
Speedie and the all-women's basketball team will travel to Fort Wayne, Indiana, at the end of April to compete in the national wheelchair basketball tournament.
IN MOTION: Mona Shores hooper to compete for free throw national title
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
