On the basketball court, players run, pass and shoot with relative ease. Behind these seemingly practiced maneuvers, however, is one hidden snag. Morgan Collins, a senior Lady Raiders shooting guard, was born with a birth defect that could have prevented her from ever being able to walk.

“When I was born, I was full term, but my pelvic bone wasn’t formed properly and my bladder was formed on the outside of my body,” Collins said. “After I was born, they rushed me to University Medical Center in Lubbock by the medical evacuation helicopter and the pediatric urologist that was familiar with my birth defect took me into surgery to correct both my defects. I received two units of blood and spent the first month of my life on my back with my feet at a 45 degree angle being pulled by a traction apparatus which was designed for me by a doctor in Maryland. There was little hope that I would be able to stand on my legs or even bear weight because the pelvic bone was formed wrong. I then had several surgeries after that and then eventually they just removed my bladder because it wouldn’t function. The birth defect was a 1 in 10,000.”

Despite this rather arduous start to life, Morgan said there were very minimal lasting effects. Morgan said she has occasional doctor’s visits to ensure that her body’s pH level is normal. Since she doesn’t have a bladder, Morgan takes pills to flush the acid out of her body. In addition, she has some colon damage and right kidney damage that doctors keep track of with ultrasounds.

“The only thing that has really affected me has been my height because the surgeries I’ve had affect how much you grow, Morgan said.  “I take medicine for it but it doesn’t help that much.”

Morgan has been playing basketball for 10 years, beginning when she was in third grade. She currently plays for the Lady Raider Varsity team.

“As a team, I hope to make it to playoffs,” Morgan said of her hopeful achievements. “As an individual, I want to break my three point record for the season.”

In addition to basketball, Morgan said she was participating in track for the first time. She will be throwing shot put. Morgan is planning on attending WTAMU to study physical therapy.

“I want to do something that I can help other people with,” Morgan said. “And it’s kinda close to sports.”

Morgan said her favorite part of basketball was the competition and being with her team.

“We’ve done a lot better than we’ve done in previous years,” Morgan said. “And we’ve grown a lot closer as a team.”