RPAC Rundown Spotlight Series: Wyatt Rice of Southern Valley

To say life is easy or that it won't be hard just isn't true. We all face challenges that we must overcome. And how you handle a challenge is essential, obviously. Wyatt Rice, a freshman at Southern Valley, has been diagnosed with CRPS, which stands for chronic regional pain syndrome. Doctors have upgraded his diagnosis to AMPS (Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome), which is rare. Also, Wyatt has FND, which stands for Functional Neurological Disorder.

"So we'll just go back to the start of the journey. It was the summer after sixth grade...I was swimming one day at practice, and out of nowhere, my leg just started killing me to the point where I couldn't even walk or swim. So we went to the doctors, and our doctor diagnosed me with an Achilles tendon sprain. And we did some rounds of PT, I think, for about three months, and it didn't get much better. So I had an MRI ordered. And after my MRI, they found nothing wrong except a possible fracture," said Wyatt.

"When we started this journey...they thought it was just an Achilles sprain or strain, and it progressed and went from there to broken bones, to a tumor they thought was cancer, to now where we are at today," said Lacy Rice, who is Wyatt's mother.

RPAC Rundown Spotlight Series brought to you by Arapahoe Rehab and Fitness.

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"Basically, he just struggles with intense pain in his right shin. So it's just intense, intense pain in his leg, which causes mood swings just because he's really irritable dealing with it 24/7, (and) lack of sleep. And so with all of that, he just struggles with daily activity," added Lacy.

"So basically, it's some misfiring in the chemistry of his brain that just started for some unknown reason...telling him there's something wrong with his leg, and there just isn't. And his brain just keeps misfiring, saying there is. They really have no cure for it."

Even with what he's up against, Wyatt feels it's important to be involved in school activities and makes it a priority.

"I think it's pretty essential just because when I was non-weight-bearing for that long time, I wasn't doing sports, and it really took a jab at my emotional health, and I got really disconnected from friends. I quit doing the things I loved, which just really affected me emotionally. So I feel like by doing those activities I can just be my somewhat normal self."

Wyatt played football this past fall, is currently on the basketball team, and is involved in activities such as FFA and Quiz Bowl. And Wyatt says facing the adversity is vital to him, too. And with the trials he has faced and how often he is around doctors, he is also thinking about becoming a doctor someday.

"I want to be some type of doctor or something where I can put my own pain into a study to help people. So I think it'll just help me be a better person just by knowing those struggles and seeing what people can go through...and maybe understand more of what people have deeper inside than just outside", said Wyatt.

And for Wyatt's parents, it's encouraging to see how much he wants to be involved and the effort he puts in.

"It's encouraging that he continues to do that (activities) just because that's his outlet...So we're so proud that he continues. But it also has mental wear on him because those are the things that especially hurt him the most (sports)...So, I mean, we are beyond proud of how far he has come."