Fighting Back

When junior Cassidy Kahn stands on the diving board waiting to fling her body through the air and into the pool, she carries a heavier heart than that of the typical diver.

“It just feels incredible,” she said. “I just think, ‘Oh my God, I’m doing this.
I’m back.’”

Her emotions are those of a survivor.

Two years ago, Kahn was a healthy freshman athlete excited to start her collegiate
diving career. All of that changed when a few rashes appeared on her legs.

It was just a few days before Kahn realized she had more than a simple rash.

She became increasingly ill and was taken to a hospital where she was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, a rare flesh-eating bacteria with a high death rate, even with aggressive treatment and powerful antibiotics.

“I don’t remember all of it, but the doctor came in and told me they needed to take me to surgery,” Kahn said. “He asked what religion I was, and when I said Jewish, he told me they should probably bring a rabbi in.”

It hit Kahn so quickly, she was not always sure what was going on.

She was going through these first surgeries without her parents, who were home in New York.

The many surgeries Kahn had to go through to rid her body of the infection left her crippled. She was told she would never dive again.

A resilient teenager, Kahn was not ready to let her dream of being a collegiate diver fade away.

“When everyone kept saying it was out of the question and that it was insane, that just made me be like, ‘No, I’m going to prove you wrong,’” she said. “I didn’t know if I was going to get back to where I was, but it was always in me that I wanted to try.”

When her body was finally cleared of the illness, she began the long road of rehabilitation.

First, it was getting her to sit up. Next, she was walking five steps at a time – a huge accomplishment for someone with her condition. Once she was strong enough to get through normal living, it was physical therapy six days a week to build up strength.

Fighting Back

Finally, she was cleared to return to Bloomington and rejoin IU’s diving team.

IU diving coach Jeff Huber was glad to have Kahn back and practicing.

“It was frustrating because once she got to IU, I never got to see her do a dive,” he said.

Now that she is back and diving, Huber said he has never had a kid work any harder, but there is more to her than her hard work.

“She’s a resilient kid and very humble,” he said. “She never missed a chance after practice to (say) thank you for coaching her.”

Kahn’s resistance to give in kept her motivated when she simply had to sit on the side and watch her teammates.

“I was at nationals with the team in August. I was sitting there and I was just frustrated,” she said. “I remember almost panicking. I was like, ‘Competition is in three months, and I have to get back.’”

Kahn’s ordeal has touched members of her team as well.

Junior Christina Kouklakis said that Kahn’s struggle to survive and determination to dive again has changed the way she thinks about problems in her career.

“There are times we all complain,” Kouklakis said. “You just look at her and think things could be worse. I need to think in a different way to get through a meet or practice.”

‘The Greatest Feeling’

Nearly two years have passed since her first surgery, and Kahn finally got the chance to start the collegiate diving career she dreamed of at the Hoosierland Invitational this November. She finished eighth in the platform diving competition, and the surreal moment still resonates with her.

As she sits and describes her first dive in front of a crowd, her body turns to face the diving boards. The scar running down her leg from her surgery is visible, but it is hard to notice because her eyes are what draw the attention.

When the words come out, she cannot help but continue to gaze at the diving board with a light in her eyes, as if she is reliving the moment over again.

“I couldn’t have anticipated the feeling,” she said. “I actually did it. It was the greatest feeling I think I ever had. I am doing what I love.”