SIGNING WITH BUENA VISTA ­— Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman/Martin Luther senior ahead Olivia Mattson (center entrance) indicators her letter of intent to play basketball for Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa, subsequent season throughout a media session on Nov. 15 at GHEC High School in Granada. Olivia’s mother and father, Brad (entrance left) and Jackie Mattson (entrance proper), together with siblings Kayla and Jacob Mattson (again row), witnessed the occasion. (Photo by Charlie Sorrells)

GRANADA — When Granada-Huntley-East Chain senior Olivia Mattson made her official dedication to play basketball for Buena Vista University subsequent season, space prep sports activities followers may need deemed the Nov. 15 occasion as simply one other signing day.

For the Jaguars’ 5-foot-10 highly-skilled multi-tasking hoopster, penning her signature on a letter of intent to the Division III program in Storm Lake, Iowa, proved the end result of overcoming unthinkable adversity throughout the previous two years.

“It’s been quite a journey to get to this point,” stated Jackie Mattson, Olivia’s mom. “Olivia was diagnosed with PE — pectus excavatum — during the spring of her sophomore year of high school.”

Pectus excavatum is a situation the place an individual’s sternum and a number of the ribs develop inward, making a melancholy in the course of the chest.

“For a year and a half I’d feel light-headed, didn’t breathe well, always felt tired and would pass out at times,” stated Olivia Mattson.

So her mother and father — Jackie and Brad — made the medical circuit to seek out out what was creating her signs and the right way to treatment them.

“The doctors started out testing her for food allergies,” stated Jackie. “We visited a hematologist, heart-and-lung doctors and a lot of other specialists trying to figure out what was going on.”

Finally, a doctor recognized Olivia with PE and upon examination, found solely an inch separating her sternum and backbone.

“The space between them was so small that the doctors couldn’t even see her heart with the internal camera,” stated Jackie.

The therapy — the Nuss surgical process. Doctors reduce right into a affected person’s ribs, insert a concave stainless-steel bar below the sternum after which the bar is flipped to maneuver the sternum into the correct place.

“For three months I couldn’t lift my arms above my head or it could possibly tear some of the muscles in my chest,” stated Olivia. “I then had bodily remedy for 3 months to maintain the muscle tissues in place and regain my flexibility and energy.

“After all of this time, I’m starting to get used to the bar being there, but there are times when it affects me.”

Olivia found a type of instances throughout final spring’s frigid monitor & area season.

“When I inhaled cold air during a track meet, my lungs expanded and hit the bar — which also had gotten cold — and caused a burning sensation,” stated Olivia. “I learned my lesson there.”

So, what precautions does Olivia should take in an effort to compete within the “non-contact” sport of basketball?

“I’ve had moments when I’ve been hit in the chest in basketball, but most of the time I’m OK,” stated Olivia. “I don’t look for contact, but it’s a physical sport and sometimes you can’t avoid taking a hit.”

Olivia and her GHEC/Truman/Martin Luther Jaguar teammates tip off the season by touring to Valley Conference opponent St. Clair on Tuesday evening.

Despite her medical situation, Olivia earned each Sentinel All-Area and all-Valley Conference honors by producing the Jaguars’ No. 2 group scoring common (13.5 factors per sport) and No. 2 rebounding clip (6.2 rebounds per outing) throughout the 2022-23 marketing campaign.

After Olivia and the Jaguars look to make a deep run within the postseason event in 2024, the Jaguars’ senior standout will put together to play at Buena Vista University subsequent winter.

“I plan to major in social work, and I really like their (BV) program because they actually put you in the field,” stated Olivia. “The BV head coach (David Wells) and my Minnesota Nice AAU coach (Pierre Ellis) are good friends, so he (Wells) saw me play AAU and we started communicating.”

Olivia stated she preferred the ‘community’ really feel of the Buena Vista campus.

“When you attend BV, you’ll get the chance to know people right away and you won’t feel like a stranger,” stated Olivia.

Olivia plans to main in drug and substance rehabilition with a minor in elementary schooling.

“It’s been a journey, but I’m not done with it yet,” stated Olivia.