Resilience on and off the Diamond

Photo by Kelsi Jones; Hewell sliding into 3rd base at one of her high school games

Kylen Hewell remembers walking into the locker room, laying down, and waking up changed forever. Just recovering from the flu, covid, and a concussion, all the symptoms seemed to be the same. She realized something wasn’t right with her body when she was passing out after any physical activity and constant fatigue. Countless of months with doctor visits and misdiagnosis, she finally got an answer, but it wasn’t the answer she was expecting. Kylen learned to adapt to her unique condition and still play the sport she loves.

Born to Play

Kylen Hewell was born and raised an athlete. She bounced from softball, basketball, soccer– even wrestling with her siblings was a sport. She played softball and basketball throughout middle and high school. From 12 years old, she knew softball was her game.

“It was just like a feeling,” Hewell tells me, “I have watched people play and I also knew it was the only way I would afford college.” Playing the sport she loved had to become her lifestyle and a ticket to a good education.

Forever Changed

That one day in the locker room changed Hewell’s life forever. “I was unconscious, and it looked like I was having a seizure,” Hewell says, “We were transported in and out of hospitals for weeks trying to figure out what was going on with my body.” Although many doctors attributed it to anxiety, that was not the real cause.

Hewell was diagnosed with Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizure (PNES) in 2022.  PNES is a medical condition that causes seizure-like episodes due to psychological stress. Doctors, first, believed Hewell had POTS due to her recurring fatigue and passing out. POTS  affects the nervous system while PNES is caused by psychological stress in the brain. Hewell still doesn’t know the actual cause of her PNES, though at the time, she believed it was symptoms of her concussion. “I have had high blood pressure my whole life so everything kind of worked together to cause the issue,” Hewell tells me.

All these struggles thrown at Hewell made her question if she could continue to play the sport she loved.

Learning to Live with PNES

Despite the chaos of PNES, Hewell’s spirit stayed unbroken, defying her condition with every swing. Because PNES was so new to everyone around her, no one understood it well enough to stop her from playing. “I was playing, but it was almost a guarantee…I was gonna pass out…because my heart rate went from super high to super low,” Hewell says.

“We knew that every time she went back into the dugout, she was gonna pass out,” Kelsi Jones, a friend and mentor to Hewell, tells me. “We were learning how to maintain Kylen’s condition as she was learning to live with it.” Jones was Hewell’s FCA leader in 2022 and became inseparable ever since. Jones has been by Hewell’s side even before her condition was diagnosed. “Kylen doesn’t stop. She will run through a brick wall. I believe her injuries are the only reasons she’s ever stopped,” Jones says. Before her PNES, Hewell was (and still is) injury prone—and still is today as she is recovering from an ankle sprain.

Support Systems

Hewell’s high school coaches knew the type of player she was. “She worked harder than most girls and brought competitiveness that most girls didn’t have,” said Christi Thomas , her high school basketball coach. Because of her PNES, Hewell was irregular with her basketball career. Her senior year, she was like an assistant coach. “All the girls looked up to her and her work ethic. She was like another coach,” Thomas tells me.  Hewell’s teammates and coaches were supportive of her condition to the point where everyone knew exactly what to do when she passed out.

“My coaches and teammates were really receptive to my condition,” says Hewell, “Before I pass out, I get a very visible glaze on my face, and I go nonverbal and the people around me can recognize when it’s about to happen.”  Hewell had a support system that knew how to handle and react to her condition, and she had no fear when she passed out, untouched by what might happen when she was out. The only fearful thing was how she was going to communicate to her new coaches and teammates about such a complex way of living.

Photo by Lani Joesph; Hewell (2nd to left) with former teammates during media day

Transition to College Life

Hewell had a sense of foreboding when she went to college. “I was fearful that people would not be receptive or protective of it and just to take it lightly because it is not a light thing to take,” Hewell told me. Hewell plays at Shorter University and the softball program were accepting to her and her condition. “Since being in college, I’ve learned more about how to take care of it when it comes to play in a game.” Hewell’s coaches have made her transition to college with her condition very casual, as she hoped for. “Coach Hogan and coach Hutto understand my thing and I feel safe when it happens because I’ve grown to trust them.”

Rooted in Faith

Through all the difficulties Hewell has faced, she kept a strong root in her faith. “I am hopeful that this is the Lord’s plan, and he has finally set me apart to carry his glory in a way I never expected,” Hewell says. Trusting in something deeper than herself has let her stay resilient in her situation where she doesn’t really know an answer to. All the stress and injuries Hewell has faced, her determination and faith has remained with her through it all.