ST. LOUIS -Shriners Children’s patients shined at the 2024 Summer Paralympics and are set to excel at the 2026 Winter Games this March. The nonprofit healthcare system has a knack for churning out stellar athletes, and the next generation of stars is already on its way to the top. Shriners Children’s St. Louis patient Kylee just won gold at the 2025 Youth Parapan Games in sitting volleyball, and she hopes to follow in the steps of fellow Shriners Children’s patients on the senior women’s sitting volleyball team.
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Kylee’s leg was amputated when she was 9 months old. She needed continued care, and as her family moved around the country, they found seamless support through the Shriners Children’s healthcare system. For the last eight years, the team at Shriners Children’s St. Louis has supported her with prosthetics that help Kylee stay mobile and active. The St. Louis hospital is where she built a valuable connection with her prosthetist, Darren, who also came to need a prosthetic leg as a young boy.
“When I first started receiving care, I didn’t really know how to explain what I was feeling or what I needed,” Kylee said. “Now, after all the help from Shriners Children’s, I can tell Darren exactly what I need, and he always understands me, creating the perfect prosthetic leg for me. Shriners Children’s has definitely had a major influence on my athletic career, too. They created a prosthetic that allowed me to play standing volleyball for the first time, and that eventually led to my sitting volleyball career. I wouldn’t have been able to play without them.”
While Kylee was a little young to make the senior women’s squad for sitting volleyball at the last Summer Paralympics, she has her eyes set on the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. Winning gold at the Youth Parapan Games in Chile was a huge accomplishment for the 18-year-old, and proved that the next generation of sitting volleyball players has what it takes to win on the highest level. Kylee and her team won a thrilling, three-set championship match to down Brazil, who defeated them earlier in the tournament. To cap it all off, Kylee was chosen as the flag bearer for the United States at the closing ceremony of the games.
“I just remember tears pouring from my eyes after we won gold,” Kylee said. “The whole experience was crazy, and I just wasn’t expecting it to happen like it did. We really clicked as a team despite only practicing together nine times before the tournament. I didn’t know I was going to be the flag bearer until right before the closing ceremonies, and I started crying again when I found out. Walking across the stage with the flag was a true ‘wow’ moment. It felt amazing.”
Former Shriners Children’s patients Bethany Zummo and Alexis Shifflett won multiple Paralympic gold medals with the U.S. in sitting volleyball. Kylee has had the chance to practice with Zummo and Shifflett and looks up to the women who have taken the same path as her.
“Bethany went through the same thing as me growing up,” Kylee said. “She was literally me. I see how she has grown up, and that’s the path I want to follow. We have the same community supporting us, and it’s crazy to think I’m friends with these girls I heard of while being a fan.”
Keep an eye out for Kylee as she continues to progress in her sitting volleyball career. True to her competitive spirit, she is aiming for the 2028 games but said if it doesn’t happen, she’ll push for the 2032 Paralympics in Australia.
About Shriners Children’s
Shriners Children’s improves the lives of children by providing pediatric specialty care, conducting innovative research, and offering outstanding education programs for medical professionals. Children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care, regardless of the families’ ability to pay or insurance status, and receive all care and services in a compassionate, family-centered environment. For more information, please visit shrinerschildrens.org.
