Smith inspires Sea Kings

Madie Smith doesn’t remember much about that early summer morning two years ago.

There were some mornings she would wake up bothered by some twitching. But this was different. This was something much more. A loud thud coming from the sound of her head slamming against a drawer was something different for sure.

The noise woke up Smith’s older sister, Morgan, and when she entered her younger sister’s room she saw a scene that still brings her to tears.

Smith, a senior setter for the Corona del Mar High girls’ volleyball team, was experiencing a full-blown epileptic seizure. Morgan, who also played at CdM and graduated in 2002, shouted for her mother as she quickly turned over her younger sister.

Soon, an ambulance came and took Smith to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with epilepsy, a brain disorder that is known to cause seizures.

Today, she has had no relapses of a seizure since. She’s also not hesitant to talk about that horrific morning that left her scared to fall asleep for fear that she would never awaken. Instead she uses her ailment for motivation, also as a form of discipline. She wants others who have epilepsy to know they can go on with their lives, and for some they can compete in sports.

She also wants to continue to be a leader for the Sea Kings, as they prepare for their CIF Southern Section Division II-AA championship match. CdM plays against Redlands East Valley, a rematch of last year’s final, Saturday at 1 p.m. at Cypress College.

The match is a big challenge for the Sea Kings. But Smith is no stranger to difficult obstacles. After her seizure, she had to be in a wheelchair for a little more than a week as her body adapted to medicine.

During the Sea Kings’ summer league matches, Smith rolled in to support her teammates, who were dismayed to see their setter in a wheelchair.

Smith also had her driver’s license taken away because doctors initially thought the seizures would occur again.

And then when night came, the real trouble appeared.

“More than anything I was scared of dying in my sleep,” she said. “That was the biggest fear for me.”

There was also a thought that she wouldn’t play volleyball again, but Smith easily pushed that aside. Volleyball is huge in the Smith home. After Morgan played at CdM, she competed at UCLA for two years before an injury ended her career. But she still worked within the Bruins athletic department. Jordan Smith was also a standout at CdM and went on to perform well at UCLA. She’s now the frosh-soph coach for the Sea Kings, who went undefeated this past season.

Adam Smith also played at CdM for the boys’ team, and like Jordan, was a part of a CIF section championship team.

Madie, of course, wants to do the same before she goes on to play at the University of San Diego.

It’s been a great season for the Sea Kings’ setter, who is averaging nearly 10 assists per game. The four-year varsity player amassed a career-high 71 assists in a five-game win against Santa Barbara this season.

On CdM’s team, she’s the one who makes the Sea Kings go, a catalyst for sure.

“She means everything to our team,” said Darryl Gan, CdM’s co-coach. “She really keeps us together and sets the tone for us. She just seems to contribute everywhere. She’s been that player for us.”

Gan knows about Smith’s epilepsy. He also knows she never uses it as an excuse. He sees her deal with it and notices that she has educated herself about maintaining her competitiveness while dealing with all that goes with epilepsy.

Smith must wake up at 6:30 in the morning to swallow a pill that prevents the seizures. Again at 6:30 p.m., she takes another pill. Alcohol is a definite no-no. And, she must maintain a healthy diet, something that can be tough for a teenager, especially when In-N-Out is such a big part of the Sea Kings’ lives.

Smith’s mother, Terry, says the team will usually eat there to celebrate a win. Terry Smith can smile now about her youngest daughter’s lifestyle. But when that seizure happened it was not a happy time.

“It’s almost like time just stops,” Terry said. “... The blessing of it is you don’t go backward and you don’t go forward, you’re in the moment trying to make the right decision. I had never seen anyone seize before. I wasn’t equipped to know what to do.”

Morgan Smith played with a teammate who is epileptic, so right away she knew what was going on with the baby of the family. She had also seen plenty of emergency scenes from hospital dramas on television to know to turn her over, face up.

But after this episode, Morgan has enjoyed watching what has taken place in Madie’s life.

“Looking back, as terrible as it was, I think it has made her a stronger person,” Morgan said. “She has gone through it and she survived it. It also brought us closer as a family, even that much more.”

On the court, Madie carries a great deal of responsibility. Away from it there’s not much difference. She handles it as best as she can.

In the team’s media program, she submitted her favorite motto that basically sums up her philosophy.

“Don’t wait for the storm to pass, learn to dance in the rain.”