In support of Cat Bradley

Palm Coast Observer
Opinion

Keep calm, and pray for Cat.

Six simple words, but they have been powerful for friends of Flagler Palm Coast assistant girls soccer coach Cat Bradley.

At 16, Bradley was diagnosed with a severe liver disease. Doctors always told her she would likely need a liver transplant, but even she couldn’t guess it would happen so quickly.

About six weeks ago, Bradley was suffering from lower back pain. Her feet were swollen. Something wasn’t right, and she knew it. She drove herself to the Florida Hospital Flagler emergency room.

Doctors discovered that, stemming from her liver problems, her kidneys were now failing. The only solution — which wasn’t even a guarantee to fix the situation — was to have a liver transplant. The time frame for a new liver was anyone’s guess.

As she climbed up the transplant list to No. 2, her liver continued to fail. She was put on a ventilator. Bradley was running out of time.

But on Thursday, April 11, after moving up to No. 1 on the list, a liver became available. Hours of anticipation were suffered before doctors confirmed around 8 p.m. that the liver was a match. The transplant surgery was a go for later that night.

After eight hours of surgery, Bradley remained in the Intensive Care Unit early Friday morning.

By Saturday, April 13, she was with friends and family, giving two thumbs up with the infectious Cat Bradley smile in a picture posted to Facebook. Later that same day, she is flexing her muscles in another picture.

Bradley is scheduled to be released from Florida Hospital Orlando in the coming days. Doctors and nurses have told her that she is a medical miracle. Really, it’s just Bradley doing what she does best: smile and fight.

Getting a new liver saved her life. But she said she couldn’t have done it without the support from friends, family, former teammates and even strangers.

“It’s been a crazy two months,” Bradley said April 16. “It’s been one insane journey, which isn’t over. It’s been a life-changing experience.”

The "Keep calm, and pray for Cat" image went viral as Bradley continued to fight in the hospital. Robin Allen, a former soccer teammate and one of Bradley’s close friends, said the support from everyone has been unreal. “To me, it says a lot about Cat and what she means to people and the impact she has on people’s lives,” Allen said. “She has great friends and family. It also says a lot about our community. The amount of support she has is overwhelming. People she doesn’t even know are sending her support and praying for her. It’s been such a cool thing to witness.”

Bradley’s support group will continue to lift her spirits. But at the end of the day, it’s her own strength that will carry her through.

Cat Bradley continues to defy the odds, because that’s what Cat Bradley does.