It was a nightmare no parent should ever have to face.

Three years ago, Stephanie Campbell went into the family kitchen to discover a terrifying scene: her daughter, Sophie—who had gotten up early to get some work hitting off a tee before school—was on the floor having a seizure.

“This was very scary to say the least,” the athlete’s mother recalls. “It took a few months to get Sophie diagnosed and the tests came back revealing that she had Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy or “JME” for short.” 

A Better Understanding of Epilepsy

What is JME?

By definition, it’s a type of epilepsy characterized by sudden, brief muscle jerks (or seizures) that typically occur during or shortly after waking up and can affect the arms, legs, or head. 

Believed to be a genetic disorder, there can be brief periods of seizures that involve loss of consciousness, body stiffening, and jerking movements. 

Sophie explains from her perspective what she has to deal with on a daily basis.

“For people that don’t necessarily know much about epilepsy or what it is, what happens is it causes me to have migraines a lot of the time,” she says.

“If I don’t get at least eight hours of sleep it can cause me to have a seizure, and I also have to take medications to help control it so I don’t have as many seizures or ticks—which is basically a seizure but it’s a different type of seizure which is called a myoclonic seizure.”

Not the most conducive disorder if you’re a promising athlete with the skills and work ethic to play collegiately… and perhaps beyond.

One of the Best in Her Class

Last May, Line Drive presented the 2028 HOT 100 rankings and Sophie made the Top 30.

Here’s what we wrote then about her skills on the field… 

T-27—Sophie Campbell, C, Fury Premier 2028 – Wall
Sophie is the” ideal player that if you were starting a roster from scratch, you would want to pick her,” according to Head Coach TC Wall. “She has a very consistent bat with great power!” Her home runs have been over 240 feet and opposing coaches do not want to risk throwing to Sophie in her wheelhouse. The backstop from Bristol, Va. is also a very solid base runner who runs aggressively and is always looking for an extra bag. Behind the dish, Sophie has a very strong arm and accurate throws with no fear to throw at any base and always has the greenlight to do. Last year, Sophie batted .500 with a .600 on-base percentage and slugged seven home runs with 44 RBIs. A notable honor was her being named as a Scenic City All-Star last Summer.

In the summer, Sophie continued her impressive play as she batted .444 with a .500 on-base percentage and, impressively, produced a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with 63 put outs and five assists.

Not Giving Up—Or In—To Medical Challenges

The success between the lines is exciting and promising for sure, but the high school sophomore’s story off the field is equally dramatic and makes Sophie’s accomplishments even more amazing when you consider what she has to deal with on a daily basis.

“When we found out this diagnosis of epilepsy,” Sophie’s mother says, “I thought her life would change dramatically. I also thought that her softball playing days would be over, but she has proven me wrong every day.”

“Some days are very challenging but she continues to amaze me with her will to not let this define who she is. To say that she battles every day to play a sport she has such a passion for is an understatement.”

“Some days the side effects of the medication make her so tired she can barely put one foot in front of the other, but she continues to put her cleats on and give the game all that she has. I am super proud of her outlook on this diagnosis and how she handles it every day.”

Sophie’s travel ball coach TC Wall, who now is the head of the Impact Caymol National ‘28/‘29 – Wall team, has had a front row seat in seeing how his talented catcher handles—and overcomes—her medical malady and marvels at how his young player has overcome something that might have led many to hang up her gloves and cleats.

“This kid battles things every day to chase her dreams that most adults, including myself, couldn’t get through,” he begins.

“The most impressive part, she never makes excuses and never complains. Quite the contrary, Sophie apologizes for feeling like she has let me and the team down.”

“It has taken a lot from me and her amazing mom to even get her to share her story, because she doesn’t want people feeling sorry for her or feel like she’s making any type of excuse.

“I had to tell her, if your story inspires one little girl to keep fighting through a battle no one knows about, it was worth it.

“This young woman inspires me daily, she just doesn’t realize how much. Sophie is one of the best humans I’ve ever had the privilege to know and I’m honored to not only get to be her coach, but to have a front row seat and she wins her battle and does her part to change this world for the better, one day at a time.”

A Softball Scouting Report

What makes Sophie so impressive in the sport she loves? Her coach gives a detailed scouting report.

“Sophie is as consistent of a hitter as anyone in the class,” he states.

“She hits gap to gap line drives on the regular with the ability to go 240 feet on any given swing of the bat.”

“Sophie is also one of the most coachable players I ever had the privilege to coach. No matter how the game is going, she is always willing to listen, learn, grow, and adapt.”

“Defensively, when not doing damage at the plate, you can find Sophie behind the plate keeping runners at bay and leading her team. She is also versatile enough to play first base and the outfield and is one of the faster catchers in the class.” 

A Mother’s Love & Support

The Campbell family lives in Rosedale, Va. and Sophie attends Honaker High School. Not only has she played softball for six years, she also is skilled on the basketball court and, in the classroom carries a 4.0 GPA.

As if all of that wasn’t enough, she’s a Regional Officer in Future Business Leaders of America and competed at state last year in the category of public speaking.

But softball is her passion and love and the future is bright. The work she puts in will take her places in the sport, but Coach Wall is quick to say that Sophie has huge support behind her.

“To say that her mom is God-sent,” he preaches, “is an understatement.”

“This sweet lady put miles on their car every day driving Sophie to various lessons and workouts hours away as they live in a very rural area. Stephanie has driven Sophie from Virginia to Middle Tennessee on short notice for an optional workout with me!”

“To add to all of that, she is helping Sophie battle something most adults could not handle. Knowing how tired and exhausted Mom must be and the fear she must face daily, I never see her without a smile on her face and she never fails to thank me.”

“However, I need to be the one thanking her. This woman is a hero and she has no idea, she just goes about her day doing the best she can for Sophie and her family. I am honored to get to know Stephanie Campbell!”

Sophie’s Journey… In Her Own Words

With great support from family and coaches, Sophie shares in her own words her journey to where she is today with the strong hope that her story will show others that they too can achieve their goals:

I have been battling epilepsy for about three years now and I had it under control for a year but then my body got used to the medication they had me on.

It has been a real struggle ever since then to continue to play early mornings, but I love this game so much that I keep fighting every day. I still travel all over for lessons, training, and tournaments every week.  

I want you to know how much passion I really have for this game and how much it kills me when I don’t get to play. 

I hate when my body doesn’t allow me to play it really is hard for me because of how much this game means to me. When I play softball, I feel at peace and I feel like I can just go out there and do anything if I set my mind to it. 

It has been hard to maintain my 4.0 average in school with all the other extra-curricular clubs I do for school plus taking all the honors classes I can take. The medication I’m on also has several side effects like being exhausted all the time and it also causes anxiety which sometimes causes a seizure.

Currently I am on 14 pills a day at only 15 years old.

We are still trying to figure out what medication will work for me which they might not have one out there.  This could be something I just have to live with and fight every day.

Seizures also come with very little warning so they could happen at any time. I have had them at school, softball fields, and out in other public places.

One of my biggest fears is people treating me differently because I have epilepsy. I hate when people don’t believe I can do something just because I have epilepsy, it makes me want to try so much harder. 

After I have a seizure, I feel terrible the rest of the day and sometimes days after plus they sometimes cause me to forget certain things.

I believe God has a plan for me and I just don’t know what it is yet. I trust in God every day and I tell myself everything happens for a reason. I believe nothing is too hard to overcome when you trust in the process and rely on God to help you through it.

Prayer is one of the biggest things that has helped me through this journey. My family is also all so supportive of me and I know they will always be there for me and they will always help me with anything I need.

I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish anything without my family, friends, and coaches. They all believe in me every day and that makes me fight that much harder to accomplish all my dreams. 

My dream is to go to college and play softball and help to inspire people to trust in their plan and keep believing in themselves.

So if you are out there struggling with something don’t give up. You can overcome anything if you put your mind to it. Believe in yourself. Go out there and fulfill the potential that you have.

I believe in you so believe in yourself! 

A Coach’s Love

Coach Wall concludes with a beautiful sentiment directed at the athlete herself.

“Sophie Campbell, I love you and I’m always here in your corner to push you and challenge you, even more than you already are.”

“Greatness is already in you, embrace it. Your journey is far from over and your story is still to be written.”

Where to Learn More About Epilepsy

 Sophie shares info for those looking to learn more:

“Epilepsy Foundation is a great website to go on to learn how to help someone that has it and how to better understand epilepsy.”

“Mayo Clinic is also another good website for learning about epilepsy.”

“Cleveland Clinic is also another website you can check out to learn more… and that is also the clinic I go to. 

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Softball