When she was born in April of 2000, Addie Bathurst had a problem.  Her heart wasn’t working quite right.  Within four days she was in surgery to repair the tiny organ.  Her parents knew that sometime in the future she might have to undergo surgery again, but the good news was that until then, Addie was just like any other kid, and could run and play with the best of them.

Growing up in a family that loves soccer (one of her older sisters was a BRYC All Star at U12 before going travel, and played on the Woodson HS varsity team this year; her mother was a BRYC coach for a few seasons), Addie gravitated to the game.  By the time she was a U8 she was an All Star for the first time, and had made the squad five of six seasons through last spring’s FPYC Tournament as a U10.

But then last summer the doctors said it was time for a second open-heart surgery to correct an area that had not kept up with her growth.  For Addie, among other more important things, that meant no contact sports for six months.  No fall soccer. 

Flash forward to the spring season just ended.  With the doctor’s approval, Addie was back on the pitch, playing with as much spirit, determination, and "heart" as ever. Once again she was selected to play as a defensive back on the U11G All Star squad, coached by Dave Diaz.

Meanwhile, Addie has become a movie star of sorts, which is where this story really begins, as a film crew followed Addie’s surgery and recovery to create a promotional video for Inova Health System...capturing some her regular season play for Coach Mike Choffel, on whose team she’s played since 2008.  With the permission of the hospital, the doctors, and her parents, you can see the Inova film, in which Addie says she wants to become a professional soccer player.  Whether she’s that, or a movie star, or a heart surgeon perhaps, for now she’s an eleven year-old who loves soccer...and we’re thrilled she can play again for BRYC.