“surfing is my little escape from reality. When I’m in the water I leave all the stressors in my life behind and solely focus on the waves.” -Niamh Houston
Now a sophomore at Springfield High School, her pain has still not been diagnosed. She describes her day-today pain as an eight out of ten. Houston has seen 14 specialists over the years, and 13 of them have dumped her after a few visits because they could not determine the cause. She has had two unnecessary surgeries, neither of which changed her level of discomfort, and have permanently reduced her range of motion. She’s been to acupuncturists, massage therapists, athletic trainers, and anyone else who would see her. They all left her with the same answer: “I don’t know.” During her freshman year, she visited an athletic trainer, who believed that her pain lay in the pinching of the fat pad below her knee cap. To test his theory, he taped her knee in a way that would relieve the pinching. As he soon as he did this, Houston started crying. For the first time in years, she felt relief. Her mom and trainer both joined in her tears, believing the chronic pain was finally over. The next day, when she stepped out of bed, her heart dropped. Her pain was back, exactly like before. As a surfer, cross country and track athlete, and overall an active person, Houston’s chronic pain threw a wrench into her daily life, and her mental state. With many failed procedures and incorrect diagnoses, it has been easy to lose hope. Activities like running and surfing are already incredibly difficult without the added factor of chronic pain, but Houston could never give them up. As any athlete knows, there is a strong emotional connection between a runner and track, a
surfer and her board. For Houston, running and surfing have taught her that she is strong enough to overcome any obstacle, to ride any wave. She says, “people ask me why I still run and surf even with the pain. Whether it’s the freezing waters of the Oregon coast or a tempo run, pain is a relatively normal feeling. If I’ve learned anything while doing these sports, it’s that my mind is definitely stronger than my body.” If someone were to see Houston, they might notice the scars on her knees or the occasional athletic tape through the holes in her jeans, but they are more likely to see myriad ocean-themed jewelry adorning her hands and neck, or the Oregon Coast Aquarium sticker clinging to her water bottle. If they scroll through her Instagram page, they will come across a slew of GoPro pictures of tropical fish, surfing shots, and even a photo of her holding a baby hammerhead shark. For as long as she can remember, Houston has loved the ocean, and everything in it. She doesn’t remember exactly when the connection started; maybe looking at tide pools with her grandfather, or watching Finding Nemo when she stayed home sick from school. Her passion has only grown over the years. She spends her vacations face down in the water snorkeling, creating quite the sunburn on the back of her legs and back. On her way back from the U.S. Virgin Islands, her suitcase was packed so full of seashells that she
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