Saints Spotlight: Emily Acito

Isabella Schultz | Crestview Hills, KY

December 28, 2024

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To the blind eye, Emily Acito may seem like your average collegiate athlete.

She learned how to excel early on on the volleyball court as a six-rotation outside hitter, and in the classroom as a nursing major. So, some people may even assume that everything in her life comes easy to her and that she’s living the dream life. A life that most aspiring young athletes hope to achieve someday.

However, those close to Emily know that her life has been anything but easy. At age 14, she went from joyful athlete to fighting for her life in the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit).

She had just made her high school’s JV volleyball team, when one day she began coughing up blood and had to be rushed to the hospital with no idea or explanation as to why this was happening. She was quickly transferred to the PICU and it was discovered that she had an unknown lung condition.

She thought that she would never be able to play volleyball again and never be able to fulfill her dream of becoming a collegiate athlete. A dream that she wanted more than anything in her life. “I was in and out of the PICU and went through very traumatic events including being put on life support.” Stated Emily. “I ended up having to have my entire right lung removed and the first thing I asked about when waking up from surgery was if I could still play volleyball.”

During her time at the hospital, volleyball was all she could think about. After such a traumatic event, she had to learn how to reinvent herself and relearn everything there was to volleyball.

Just two months after her right lung was removed, she jumped right back into volleyball determined and ready to play. However, she soon learned that it wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought.

Due to her right shoulder muscles being cut through to remove her lung, she had to go through an immense amount of rehab to regain her shoulder strength. Many challenges arose along with this, such as being out of breath from the simplest activities and having to learn to play a different position. She had to relearn how to endure volleyball again and how to regain her stamina.

Emily has had an immense amount of support from her parents, coaches, and trainers to push herself to her full potential in volleyball. In addition, women’s volleyball coach, Holly Bronner-Stiver, has had Emily’s back even before she started at Thomas More.

Holly coaches at local volleyball club, NKJV, and was Emily’s volleyball coach during her time playing on the 17U team. For Emily, Holly was a key factor in her coming to Thomas More, and is grateful to have a coach like her in her life.

“[Emily] has a very positive attitude and she is a good example of how to bounce back.” Stated Holly. “I have seen such a boost of confidence in her throughout the years and seeing her believe in herself”.

So yes, on the outside Emily does have a normal life. She enjoys the normal teenage things such as hanging out with friends and meeting new people. But, the scar on her neck from her surgery will always be a reminder of how strong she is and how nothing can get in the way of her fulfilling her dreams.

She will always be grateful for the people who saved her and will repay them by never taking anything in life for granted. “Every touch, every practice, every game is something to be grateful for."