Walking through the cool, air-conditioned hallways with harsh fluorescent lights and the strong smell of antiseptic, she enters her grandmother’s room thrilled to talk about her day. That was her normal.
Even before current Coppell senior Kelsey Clark was born, her grandmother was paralyzed, unable to move her legs or speak fluently. However, that is not what Clark thinks of when people ask about her grandmother, Teruko Clark. To her, the woman is sassy, knows what she wants and the sweetest person on earth.
“She always showed me a side to her that was loving,” Clark said. “I would always come next to her chair and tell her, ‘This is what I’m doing today,’ and she would listen, always there, present and she just knew what was going on.”
From spending her weekends around the Sandy Lake Rehabilitation Center, knowing the local spots, memorizing the routes to her grandmother’s room, she quickly noticed the physicians and the patients, who she saw often. Little did she know, these experiences would spark an unyielding passion.
“Some patients’ conditions are critical, but you can see that they still find that joy in their life. I grew so much empathy for people with impairments and other conditions that makes it harder for people to communicate.” Clark said.
Her passion also came from empathy, wanting to be there for the families that may be in a similar situation communication-wise. Being able to understand and deliver a loved one’s needs and wants is always the goal.
“Towards the end, I remember a lot of doctors seemed very dismissive of her, they just didn’t understand how to communicate with her like her family did” Clark said. “When I would see her, like when she would need water, sometimes they might not just understand what she’s saying because she might not have the same vocalization as other patients. ”
Clark quickly knew who aspired to be in the future, not only for herself, but to serve families that are in the similar situations as her.
“When I heard about neuroscience, and found out what that is, I was set on what I wanted to do,” Clark said. “It’s never been a ‘what if’ for me.”
That was her drive. Soon after middle school she followed her passion to become a neurosurgeon with her childhood sport, soccer.
Wake up. Go to school. Practice. Practice. Study. Sleep.
And repeat.
“You know a lot of kids come home after practice at nine, you’ve done school practice, club practice, and most kids would want to eat and go to bed,” Kelsey’s father, James Clark said. “A lot of the time she has to open the books up at 9 o’clock and finish at 12 or one in the morning.”
Her extracurricular activities were a vital part of her life, she took part in Best Buddies and Soccer, giving her the opportunity to make friends and serve.
“She’s somebody who cares deeply about other people,” Coppell head coach Craig Able said. “I don’t know if people realize she’s somebody that’s very willing to go out and be an extrovert and talk about how smart she is and how academically gifted she is.”
Clark will be attending Texas A & M university in the fall and even though Clark will not be pursuing soccer after school, she plans on playing recreationally.
“I really want to focus on my degree, but definitely do see soccer being a part of my life in some aspect,” Clark said. “This season I want to help my team as much as I can and I’m sure when I’m a neurosurgeon, I want to help my patients to the best of my abilities as well.”
Follow @SidekickSports on X.
