From State Champion to Fighting for a Kidney: Brynn Rodgers’ Unbelievable 9 Month Journey

It's Thursday May 30, 2024. On the biggest stage of UIL softball at McCombs Field in Austin, Brynn Rodgers steps up to the plate with the UIL 3A State Championship hanging in the balance. The Coahoma Bulldogettes and Grandview are locked in a tense 2-2 battle in the top of the eighth inning. With Abi Bose on first, Rodgers rips a shot down the left field line for an RBI double, sending Bose flying around the bases to give Coahoma a 3-2 lead.

Moments later, in the bottom of the eighth, Grandview threatened with runners on first and second and two outs. The final out—a high pop fly to second base—settled into Rodgers’ glove, sealing back-to-back state titles for Coahoma. Rodgers would be named the 3A State Championship MVP.

It was the kind of moment athletes dream of.

Brynn Rodgers final out UIL 3A State Championship

But just six months later, the same girl who delivered championship heroics found herself in a hospital bed, fighting a battle far greater than any she had faced on the softball field.

A Sudden and Life-Changing Diagnosis

What started as a simple rash in early 2023 turned into a life-altering diagnosis. Rodgers visited multiple doctors, was prescribed antibiotics, and eventually learned she had Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP), an autoimmune disease that causes small blood vessels to become inflamed and leak. In her case, the condition led to kidney failure.

By December, instead of preparing for her freshman season at Howard College, Rodgers was undergoing dialysis with a port in her stomach. The same athlete who made hitting, fielding, and diving plays look effortless could no longer swing a bat or field a ground ball.

“I play Howard College softball. That’s really what I want to get back to doing,” Rodgers said. “I haven’t been able to play since I got this port. I haven’t been able to twist, turn, field balls, hit balls - do all those kinds of things.”

A Path to Recovery

The good news? A kidney donor has been found. Brynn’s mother, Mandi, confirmed the match, bringing hope that her daughter will one day soon step back onto the field. But the road ahead remains difficult, both physically and financially.

As Rodgers prepares for her transplant, the softball community and anyone moved by her story has an opportunity to help. Donations can be made directly to her family via Venmo (venmo pictured) to help ease the financial burden of the procedure and recovery.

Brynn Rodgers went from a champion on the diamond to a fighter in the hospital. Now, she’s battling for the chance to return to the sport she loves. Let’s rally behind her like she’s rallied behind her team so many times before.