Life is hard and full of setbacks, downfalls, and so many rough patches. Usually, the hardships we face throughout life take place during our lives, but some people are given a bad hand before they are even born. Dean College senior Diego Harrington is one of those people, as he was born with a disability known as Polymicrogyria.
Polymicrogyria is when the brain develops abnormally before birth. There are ridges in the brain called gyri, and polymicrogyria causes the brain to develop too many usually small folds.
If you saw Diego somewhere on campus, you would probably notice him since his Polymicrogyria made his left side smaller than his right side, but you would not think anything is wrong based on his mood. Diego can often be seen around campus with a smile while he is enjoying life with his friends. When asked about his positive outlook on life despite his disability he stated, "You have to play the hand you're dealt and unfortunately, I got dealt a bad hand, but why should I let something I can’t control run my life”.
Diego does not let his disability control his everyday life and refuses to let it control his athletic career. As a lifelong, diehard sports fan, Diego wanted to get involved in playing sports from a young age and refused to let Polymicrogyria stand in his way.
Diego not only got to play sports but also found that he took to them naturally due to his high level of athleticism. Growing up, Diego played several sports, including football, basketball, and even rugby for a bit. He even played on his high school football team, Bishop Hendricken High School.
While playing at Bishop Hendricken, Diego played with multiple potential NFL players, including Indianapolis Colts defensive end Kwity Paye. While he loved playing football, volleyball is the sport he is passionate about the most.
Diego loved playing volleyball when he was a kid and was excited to play for his high school team, but the coach cut him, mainly due to his diagnosis of Polymicrogyria. While that hurt him, he chose to move on, but he was determined not to let that happen again after he graduated high school and attended Dean College. Diego signed up for the Volleyball team in the fall and started practicing with them for their season in the spring.
Diego did not want a repeat of high school, so he went to work to ensure that did not happen again. “I knew that I was going to have to put in the work to not only make the team but to get playing time as well. So that’s what I did. I was in the gym almost every day, whether it was practicing my serves up against a wall or just working out, I was determined to make that team”. The hard work paid off, as he made the roster in his freshman year. He did not play a lot since he was a freshman, but he went in for occasional serves and even got an ace, scoring off a serve.
Diego did not get to have a sophomore season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he returned his junior year. His junior season saw a slight increase in playing time, and it was coming in for serves where he shined once again.
Unfortunately, Diego’s junior season could have been his last as he had this to say about his senior season, “Your senior year of college is a really important time in your life, and I will likely be taking this season off so I can focus on my career after I graduate from Dean”. Even if his college volleyball career could be over, he has so much to be proud of for overcoming Polymicrogyria and having a successful and fun sports career.