Showing Her Resilience

Despite all of the natural athletic ability she possesses, Meg Norton’s biggest asset may be her heart. For several years, the 12-year-old Pacific Palisades native lived with a debilitating kidney ailment called hydronephrosis in which excess fluids build up and lead to stretching or dilation of the organ. Depending on the amount of blockage that occurs, the condition can be extremely painful and dangerous, especially when it goes undetected for a long time as it did in Norton’s case. “She was feeling pain in her side and then she started vomiting for a month straight,” Meg’s mom, Suzanne, remembers. “At first we thought it was the flu. We had her undergo all kinds of tests and we even took her to a Chinese herbal specialist but no one could tell us what the problem was. But I could tell she was sick.” Finally, during a routine check-up, doctors found that Norton’s blood pressure was elevated and had her examined by a cardiologist. After several more months of testing, a proper diagnosis was made and Norton had surgery last September. She was back in school two weeks later and, after a smaller follow-up procedure, was anxious to resume sports. “It was hard at first because I was really limited,” says Norton, who is starting seventh grade at St. Matthew’s. “I had a lot of restrictions. I couldn’t have any contact at all, which ruled out soccer. But I feel fully recovered now.” Gifted with uncanny hand-eye coordination and blazing speed, Norton’s first love was soccer, which she began playing when she was 4. By the time she was old enough to attend Marquez Elementary School, she was a standout player and also excelled at T-ball, basketball and later five-pitch baseball at the Palisades Recreation Center. When she was in fourth grade, she started playing volleyball and has since developed into a strong outside hitter. She played on the Westside Breakers’ U-11 club soccer team before her operation and is eager to try AYSO this fall if she is cleared to play. Norton is so fast that her teammates have affectionately nicknamed her “Speedy.” “It’s hard to pick which sport I like best, they’re all fun,” Norton says. “I love being part of a team, getting exercise and being competitive.” Much of Norton’s competitive nature comes from trying to keep up with her two older brothers, Michael and Patrick, whether at the park or at their home in the Alphabet streets. “I always wanted to play like them and that was definitely a motivating factor for my recovery,” Norton says. “Luckily, I’ve always had a very supportive family.” Since her surgery, Norton has proven that one healthy kidney is more than enough to keep her playing, smiling and winning. In July, she played a key role on Sunshine Club’s 12-and-under Crimson squad, which finished first out of 59 teams nationwide at the annual Volleyball Festival in Reno, Nevada. No one was more proud of Norton than her coach and fellow Palisadian Cari Klein. “Meg is amazing. She was such an inspiration to the other girls,” Klein says. “Before her surgery she must have been in so much pain and yet she never complained. And afterwards when she showed up at tryouts she wanted to dive all over the court and dig every ball. I had to ask her to tone it down because I was worried she might get hurt. She had so much energy!” Klein decided right then and there Norton would be on the team. “I could see how much she wanted to be out there,” Klein recalls. “Even if all she could do was sit on the bench I wanted her because she has such a winning attitude. The fact that she did play and contribute made the whole experience even more rewarding.” An example of her competitive spirit came a few days later, when Norton ran the Palisades-Will Rogers 5K and finished the race in 31:35. She had tried to run the year before, four months before her surgery, but hurt so much that she could only walk the course.