The sun peeks out from behind the clouds on a crisp autumn afternoon in Kirkwood, Missouri. Leaves have just begun to change, lining the streets with a beautiful array of oranges and yellows. The city of about 28,000 breathes energy and life; cars whizz past KHS now and then, and the occasional pedestrian strolls along. Among the many things taking place, not many people think to stop by a girls’ softball game, but the hundred or so that do may never forget it.

During the 5th inning in a 16-run Pioneer pounding of Gateway STEM, magic happens. The box score shows five hits in the Pioneers’ favor, but one of those hits means much more to Karley Branch and her family than a figure in the “H” column.

In April 2013, Karley was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma. A tumor had been found in her back, pushing against her spinal cord. Luckily, the sarcoma was treatable. With surgery and chemotherapy, the tumor, along with one of Karley’s back ribs, was removed. But when she got out of surgery, doctors concluded she would never walk again.

Without any feeling from the waist down, she was given no choice but life in a wheelchair, life without activity, without softball. The news was a shock for the Branch family, to whom softball had been an integral part of life since Karley and her older sister Hanna were young. Despite any medical evidence, Karley refused to believe this fate could be true.

See, Karley Branch has a heart slightly larger than the Gateway Arch. Imagine a girl who can make you smile by just talking, a girl who is a friend to everyone, someone with a calm demeanor who never gets too upset, someone who always looks for an upside. Imagine this, and you’ll have Karley Branch.

“I never really thought that I wouldn’t play again,” Branch said. “It was always a goal for me, something for me to look forward to when I was down. It was something I just knew it [would happen].”

And it did.

Since April 2013, Karley has been going to rehabilitation and physical therapy at numerous locations, including St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital. This grueling process of recovery led to standing, walking, running and eventually a trot out to her old sanctuary, a place where dirt and grass collide.

According to Amy Leatherberry, head softball coach, when Karley made an appearance at summer softball workouts for the first time in over a year, the coach’s jaw fell to the dirt.

“We weren’t aware that she would be ready to come back, so that was a really great surprise,” Leatherberry said. “Originally, we all thought ‘She can practice, she can be with the girls; that’s good and healthy for her, but as the season progressed and she’s gotten to practice, I thought she was ready.”

She had not donned a KHS uniform in over a year, but Karley finally made her return to the game Oct. 8, 2014. Not many people, including Karley, expected her to make the long walk from the dugout to the batter’s box that afternoon. But as she did, her parents, Troy and Stacey, could not help but think about how far she’d come to be able to make that trek.

“I never thought I’d see her step into the batter’s box again,” Stacey said. “She’s so positive, you just want everything to fall on her side for once.”

And after countless treatments, surgeries, therapy sessions, tears, smiles, practices, one ball and one strike, Karley got a hit. Standing on first base, there was not a dry eye in the house. Those in attendance could not help but break their wrists clapping for a girl who had not only defied science, but human nature.

“It gives you a lot of perspective on life,” Leatherberry said. “Sports aren’t always about winning and losing. Getting to watch her do that might be the most important thing we all did this fall.”

Feel like you could use a little dose of perspective? Get yourself to a KHS softball game. You’ll be amazed at what a positive attitude can do.