At age 10, Sophie Guitron started to suspect that one thing was incorrect. For 2 weeks, her excessive fever and rashes didn’t reply to any remedy.
“I went to the hospital and they couldn’t find what was wrong with me. I had very high fevers, rashes all over my body and nothing controlled the symptoms,” Guitron recalled.
She was initially recognized with arthritis, however after a sequence of exams, docs detected one thing far more critical: a uncommon congenital coronary heart illness that required open-heart surgical procedure.
“The final diagnosis was systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Instead of my joints becoming inflamed, my organs were inflamed, and that’s how they discovered the heart disease I was born with,” defined the Mira Costa Excessive graduate. Guitron was born with an anomaly within the aortic portion of the left coronary artery, an especially uncommon situation.
Her father, José, recollects that regardless of the ache, his daughter by no means misplaced her composure.
“She has always had a very high pain tolerance,” he mentioned.
In August 2018, Sophie Guitron underwent profitable surgical procedure at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto. Though her restoration was lengthy and emotionally tough, particularly as a result of she couldn’t instantly return to soccer, her sport because the age of 6, that second marked the start of a brand new chapter.
Sophie Guitron lies in mattress recovering following her coronary heart operation.
(Courtesy of the Guitron household)
Throughout faculty breaks, whereas watching her classmates play flag soccer, one thing woke up in her. She discovered the foundations, determined to offer it a attempt to fell in love with this new sport. She joined a leisure group and received a championship in a native league, in addition to the respect of her teammates, being the one lady on the group.
The title was particularly significant: Guitron scored the successful landing and was named Most worthy participant of the match.
Along with her ardour for this new sport rising, she joined a co-ed membership the place she continued to develop. In highschool, she realized that Mira Costa didn’t have a girls’s group. So she wrote on to the Chargers for assist. The NFL franchise responded by sponsoring the creation of the primary girls’s flag soccer group within the faculty’s historical past.
The trouble paid off. Throughout her senior 12 months, Guitron and Mira Costa received the Bay League championship and achieved the varsity’s first playoff victory. Enjoying numerous positions, however excelling primarily as a large receiver, Guitron was acknowledged because the league’s Most worthy participant and acquired Division 2 All-CIF honors.
Her growth was partly because of the Conquer Chargers membership in Irvine. Her dad and mom supported her by driving her to observe, a visit that took greater than an hour every method to and from Orange County.
Sophie Guitron holds up the primary flag soccer trophy she ever received.
(Courtesy of the Guitron household)
Guitron’s Conquer Chargers coach, Justin Schulman, highlighted not solely her ability but additionally her mindset: “She knew what she wanted, she sought us out on social media, and she earned her spot. She’s a very talented runner, but above all, she’s determined.”
In 2024, she represented the USA within the Junior Worldwide Flag Soccer Cup, successful the gold medal in opposition to groups from Canada, Japan, Panama and Mexico.
Her progress didn’t go unnoticed. The NFL just lately selected her to be a part of the “Chase Something” marketing campaign, alongside quarterback Jayden Daniels and Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles. The marketing campaign urges younger athletes to pursue their goals.
She had beforehand been awarded the NFL Latino Youth Honors 2024 in New Orleans, an occasion that celebrates Latino seniors with athletic and tutorial achievements. With a 4.2 GPA and nominated by the Rams, she acquired $25,000 for her school schooling.
Sophie Guitron catches the ball whereas taking part in flag soccer. She will be able to play many positions, however broad receiver is her favourite.
(Courtesy of the NFL)
Guitron, 18, will play flag soccer for Keiser College in Florida, alongside different rising stars of the game akin to Janasia Wilson and Ashlea Klam. She plans to check sports activities administration and has already represented the USA on the U17 degree.
However her greatest dream is obvious: to make it to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the place flag soccer will make its debut within the Olympic program.
“I’m working very hard to be at the 2028 Games, but my career won’t end there. I’m young and I also want to make it to the 2032 Olympics,” mentioned Guitron, who’s 5-foot-5.
Schulman, Guitron’s coach, says there is no such thing as a doubt that she’s going to succeed.
“She is so dedicated to the sport,” he mentioned. “… I’ve already asked her to save me tickets to see her in Los Angeles.”
Sophie Guitron solutions questions through the NFL Latino Youth Honors crimson carpet.
(Cortesía NFL Honors)
With deep Latino roots, the daughter of Lilia, born in Mexico, and José, a Californian with Mexican dad and mom, Guitron can also be conscious she is a job mannequin.
“I am proud to be American, but also Mexican American. It is an honor to represent Latinas in sports. I love being that person,” Guitron mentioned.
Her father agrees: “I remind her that she is a pioneer. She is part of a movement that, in the future, will be history.”
Though her arthritis remains to be current, in remission however with occasional flares of ache, Guitron believes that her experiences have made her stronger.
“I am very grateful for everything I have been through, even though it has been difficult,” Guitron mentioned. “It has made me who I am.”
This text first appeared in Spanish by way of L.A. Occasions en Español.
