When Kim Reese-White was diagnosed with a rare illness in her sophomore year of high school and was told she only had a few days to live, she never would have thought she would be living her dream and teaching high school gym class to BBHS students.

Prior to her diagnosis, Reese-White was an athletic and seemingly healthy kid. Throughout most of her childhood, she excelled at softball and volleyball, competing with other kids just like her. As many young athletes do, she competed in countless games and matches and tournaments all over.

It seemed as though no matter where her life took her, she would always have a special place in her heart for sports and the athletic lifestyle. It was during her childhood that she realized exactly that.

“I knew back in middle school, like 7th or 8th grade, that I wanted to be a PE teacher,” said Reese-White.

It wasn’t until her sophomore year of high school that she realized her dream may never become a reality. For the duration of the year, she suffered from chronic stomach pain. At first, she hoped it would pass, but eventually, it completely took over her life. After consulting with countless doctors, her family finally ordered for a full CT scan of her stomach. On accident, the scan also picked up on her lungs, and showed something unbelievable. It was in this scan that doctors finally found what the problem had been all along.

Reese-White had been living with more than forty golf size tumors attached to both of her lungs for some time. As a result of the tumors, the air supply wasn’t reaching her stomach causing the immense pain.

The doctors were stunned by what they had found. They explained to the family that she most likely only had a few days left to live, and would never be able to play sports again.

Being the competitive, strong minded person she is, Kim Reese-White decided on that day to step up to the plate against the most difficult pitcher in the game and hit the biggest curve ball ever thrown her way.

She, with the help of her family and God, was determined to fight.

“I decided instead of having my dreams taken from me, I would prove the doctors wrong,” said Reese-White.

And that’s exactly what she did.

After months of rehabilitation, rest, and a lot of prayers, Reese-white continued her passion, and played both varsity softball and volleyball. Whether her team was winning or losing or simply practicing, she never once took another second of it for granted.

“I never sat on the bench, even if I wasn’t playing,” said Reese-White, “and I constantly pushed myself to work as hard as I could, even when it was painful and my body physically couldn’t.”

After graduating high school, Reese-White continued chasing her dream of being a physical education teacher, and furthered her education at Pacific Lutheran University. Now, Reese-White is a full time teacher, coach, and fighter. At BBHS, she teaches multiple classes aimed at helping young students achieve healthy lifestyles and challenges them to find their inner fighter as she did. She often uses her own past to motivate her students to achieve greatness and to always strive to do their best in whatever they do.

As for her own condition, she fully accepts it and hopes to inspire others who are struggling in their own lives.

“The condition I have is something I’ll always have to live with,” said Reese-White. “ I believe God had me go through this experience for a reason so that I could help others who are facing struggles in their lives.”

As her first year as a high school teacher and coach comes to an end, Reese-White hopes to continue to live her dream and set an example for everyone in the Blanchet community.