LHS Budget Issue 3

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budget

Sporting the mascot costume, a newspaper staff member takes on the role of Chesty. For more information, see Page 9.

Lawrence High School Est. 1897

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Athlete makes comeback after surgery

Senior returns to court after having her thyroid removed By Ashley Hocking Unable to catch her breath, senior Caitlin Broadwell struggled to hit, set and spike with her usual intensity as a feeling of numbness engulfed her. Broadwell’s thyroid levels had sky-

rocketed during a club volleyball game in February 2011. Broadwell was diagnosed with Graves’ disease a few hours later. “Graves’ disease...causes the thyroid to over-produce the thyroid hormones,” Mike Broadwell, Caitlin’s father, said. “In an overactive state, it can wreak havoc on the body and in the most serious cases — called a thyroid storm­— can cause heart damage and death.” She was taken into the care of her primary doctor but was ultimately transferred to Children’s Mercy Hospital.

1901 Louisiana St., Lawrence, KS 66046

“We were in shock,” Mike Broadwell said. “We were unfamiliar with the disease and didn’t even know where the thyroid was.” In Broadwell’s fragile state, she was advised to avoid physical activity for three months to reduce the risk of inducing a thyroid storm. “It was really upsetting . . . It was during softball season too, and volleyball season,” Broadwell said. “So I was really stressed out and not doing any physical activity at all, so I went home and basically slept because that’s all I really felt

like doing.” For the next three years, Broadwell spent as much time off the court as she did on. Every three weeks she visited her doctor to see if she was healthy enough to play. “She was not allowed to get her heart rate above a certain level, so she was very limited on activity,” varsity volleyball coach Stephanie Magnuson said. “She did a great job of becoming a student of the game while sidelined.” After having her thyroid gland surgically removed in August, Broadwell no

Screaming in excitement, senior Caitlin Broadwell and her teammates huddle at the Lawrence Tri on Oct. 10. The varsity volleyball team won every match at the Tri . Photo by Ashley Hocking longer has to worry about producing excess hormones. “I now have hypothyroidism,” Broadwell said. “It means you’re not producing enough [hormones], so you take medicine that gives you lots of hormones.” Continued on Page 2

Vol. 124, Issue 3, OCT. 23, 2013


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