Krissie Kelleher knew her time as a lacrosse player at Boston College empowered her to lead, be a great teammate and show up for others on a daily basis.
What she never expected was how her college athletics experience would help guide her through her child's life-threatening illness.
After being diagnosed with a spinal cord tumor, her 8-year-old daughter faced grueling neurosurgery, spinal fusion surgery and proton beam radiation therapy. As a mother, Kelleher leaned on those life lessons from college: Push through the exhaustion and never give up.
"All of those lessons suddenly rushed back to me in a way that was really a tool kit for helping her and me get through those darkest days."
Just like on the lacrosse field, Kelleher wasn't alone.Â
"The voices in my head during that time were my coaches who called and said, 'Don't give up.' They were my teammates saying, 'Krissie, I've got your back.' They were there all on the sidelines cheering her on."
Her daughter has fully recovered from her illness and currently plays club lacrosse at Notre Dame. During those grueling years, Kelleher witnessed the transformational power of team.
"Watching her overcome incredible challenges and then to see her run down the field with a lacrosse stick in her hand … that was therapy for her. It was an inspiration for her."
Her daughter's journey led Kelleher to become CEO of Team IMPACT, an organization that matches children facing serious illness or disability with college sports teams.Â
"We believe that being a part of a team can change a child's life. I believe so deeply in the power of sport to be healing, both physically but also emotionally. That's at the core of our mission."
Team IMPACT has partnered with the NCAA to match more than 400 NCAA schools and 1,100 current NCAA teams with children around the country. Kelleher's ultimate goal is to match every NCAA team with a child. The match lasts two years, and the child attends games and practices, hangs out with the team and travels to championships.Â
"What we do, on one level, feels so simple," she said. "We take one population of people, the sick and disabled children and their families, and we pair them with another population of people, and they wouldn't often come together. When they do, that's where the magic happens. It's not complicated, and that's what makes it so remarkable."
Both groups deal with adversity on a daily basis. Team IMPACT connects them so they can share their victories, too — whether that's winning games, recovering from illness or having a reason to smile that day.
Kelleher said 83% of their student-athletes report their mental health has increased by being a part of the Team IMPACT program. Many want to be involved with Team IMPACT for the rest of their lives.
"It can change the trajectory of their career. It can change how they think about the world," Kelleher said.
High-fives and hugs after games seem small, but Kelleher knows simple moments build relationships and transform lives. For Kelleher, serving student-athletes and children through Team IMPACT is a celebration of the hope sports provide. It's an experience she's lived. Â
"The sport that built me gave my daughter a way back to herself," she said. "To wake up every day and do this is the gift of a lifetime for me."
