WestChesterBuzz.com

Reds honor Lakota West freshman/MLB.com reporter

WestChesterBuzz.com will count down the area’s top 12 stories of 2012 this month, concluding with West Chester’s most discussed topic of the year on Sunday, Dec. 30.

Meggie Zahneis interviews Jay Bruce prior to the Cincinnati Reds vs. Atlanta Braves game at Great American Ball Park May 24, 2012. Zahneis, who has HSAN II or Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy, type 2, is a youth reporter for MLB.com and a freshman at Lakota West. Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber of WestChesterBuzz.com.

More than 100 parents and classmates came out to Great American Ball Park Thursday, May 24, 2012 in support of Lakota West freshman Meggie Zahneis, who was named the honorary captain prior to the Reds game.

The 15-year-old West Chester resident’s story captured the heart of Major League Commissioner Bud Selig, who in return offered her the job of being an MLB.com youth reporter prior to the 2012 season.

Zahneis’ story, however, begins when doctors operated on her twice before her first birthday for a condition they couldn’t figure out.

“We went to a ton of doctors and neurologists. Everybody across the board tried to figure out what was wrong,” said Meggie’s mother Cindy Zahneis.

“It was a very, very tough time. There were a lot of tears shed and a lot of ‘why us’ and so on, but she always had a smile on her face. She was a good baby and a sharp little girl.

“She kept doing things to amaze us, so that made it easier.”

After nine months of not knowing her daughter’s condition, a specialist in New York finally said Meggie had HSAN II or Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy, type 2. HSAN II, which has only approximately 50 known cases in the world, is a condition that affects everyone differently.

For Meggie, she has inability to feel pain, temperature and touch to the same degree as everyone else. It has also affected her growth and has resulted into 14 surgeries in her life.

Meggie, who had to have cochlear implant surgery to help her hearing, also underwent a bilateral hip surgery as a seventh grader that limited her to a wheelchair for three months.

“Going to school like that, with everybody staring at you when all you want is to be like everyone else, was really tough on her,” Cindy said.

Meggie Zahneis holds up her press credential in the press box at Great American Ball Park during a game between the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves. Zahneis was the game's honorary captain and was recognized in front of more than 100 parents and students from Lakota West Freshman School in West Chester. Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber of WestChesterBuzz.com.

With the surgeries fresh in her mind and the constant feeling that she was different, Meggie wrote about her story and entered it in the 2011 Major League Baseball Breaking essay contest.

Meggie’s essay left an impression on Sharon Robinson, daughter of hall-of-fame baseball player Jackie Robinson, who visited Lakota Ridge Junior School in May of 2011 to recognize Meggie as the contest’s grand-prize winner.

The shy eighth grader, who never wanted more than to just blend in with her classmates, shared her essay with the entire Lakota Ridge student body.

The grand prize meant that she would be honored at a Cincinnati Reds game and would receive a all-expense paid trip to 2011 MLB All Star game in Phoenix.

From there, Zahneis story didn’t go away and eventually got in the hands of Selig who called Meggie three times before offering her the reporter gig.

“When I first entered that contest, I thought that it was no more than good writing practice,” said Meggie, who is about finish year freshman year at Lakota West.

“Getting this writing experience is so valuable, it is just priceless. I am just trying to soak it all in as much as I can.”

Since her column started running on MLB.com in late February, Zahneis has written about the game’s top athletes, interviewed Nick Lachey and “made a lot of the girls at her school jealous” by meeting Josh Hutcherson of “The Hunger Games.”

In addition, she has become good friends with the commissioner’s granddaughter Natalie Prieb and with Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips.

“Just hearing her story really motivated me,” Phillips said. “It shows you that you can never take things for granted.

“She is such a bright person, I am just glad I met her. It really changed my life.”

Posted in: News, Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: Breaking Barriers, Cincinnati Reds, Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy, HSAN II, Jackie Robinson, Lakota West, Lakota West Freshman Campus, Meggie Zahneis, MLB Breaking Barrier's contest. Major League Baseball Breaking Barrier's contest, Promises to Keep, Ridge Jr. School, Ridge Junior School, Sharon Robinson, West Chester top 12 stories of 2012, West Chester top stories of 2012

Meggie Zahneis interviews Jay Bruce prior to the Cincinnati Reds vs. Atlanta Braves game at Great American Ball Park May 24, 2012. Zahneis, who has HSAN II or Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy, type 2, is a youth reporter for MLB.com and a freshman at Lakota West. Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber of WestChesterBuzz.com.

More than 100 parents and classmates came out to Great American Ball Park Thursday in support of Lakota West freshman Meggie Zahneis, who was named the honorary captain prior to the Reds game.

The 15-year-old West Chester resident’s story captured the heart of Major League Commissioner Bud Selig, who in return offered her the job of being an MLB.com youth reporter prior to the 2012 season.

Zahneis’ story, however, begins when doctors operated on her twice before her first birthday for a condition they couldn’t figure out.

“We went to a ton of doctors and neurologists. Everybody across the board tried to figure out what was wrong,” said Meggie’s mother Cindy Zahneis.

“It was a very, very tough time. There were a lot of tears shed and a lot of ‘why us’ and so on, but she always had a smile on her face. She was a good baby and a sharp little girl.

“She kept doing things to amaze us, so that made it easier.”

After nine months of not knowing her daughter’s condition, a specialist in New York finally said Meggie had HSAN II or Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy, type 2. HSAN II, which has only approximately 50 known cases in the world, is a condition that affects everyone differently.

For Meggie, she has inability to feel pain, temperature and touch to the same degree as everyone else. It has also affected her growth and has resulted into 14 surgeries in her life.

Meggie, who had to have cochlear implant surgery to help her hearing, also underwent a bilateral hip surgery as a seventh grader that limited her to a wheelchair for three months.

“Going to school like that, with everybody staring at you when all you want is to be like everyone else, was really tough on her,” Cindy said.

Meggie Zahneis holds up her press credential in the press box at Great American Ball Park during a game between the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves. Zahneis was the game's honorary captain and was recognized in front of more than 100 parents and students from Lakota West Freshman School in West Chester. Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber of WestChesterBuzz.com.

With the surgeries fresh in her mind and the constant feeling that she was different, Meggie wrote about her story and entered it in the 2011 Major League Baseball Breaking essay contest.

Meggie’s essay left an impression on Sharon Robinson, daughter of hall-of-fame baseball player Jackie Robinson, who visited Lakota Ridge Junior School last May to recognize Meggie as the contest’s grand-prize winner.

The shy eighth grader, who never wanted more than to just blend in with her classmates, shared her essay with the entire Lakota Ridge student body.

The grand prize meant that she would be honored at a Cincinnati Reds game and would receive a all-expense paid trip to 2011 MLB All Star game in Phoenix.

From there, Zahneis story didn’t go away and eventually got in the hands of Selig who called Meggie three times before offering her the reporter gig.

“When I first entered that contest, I thought that it was no more than good writing practice,” said Meggie, who is about finish year freshman year at Lakota West.

“Getting this writing experience is so valuable, it is just priceless. I am just trying to soak it all in as much as I can.”

Since her column started running on MLB.com in late February, Zahneis has written about the game’s top athletes, interviewed Nick Lachey and “made a lot of the girls at her school jealous” by meeting Josh Hutcherson of “The Hunger Games.”

In addition, she has become good friends with the commissioner’s granddaughter Natalie Prieb and with Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips.

“Just hearing her story really motivated me,” Phillips said. “It shows you that you can never take things for granted.

“She is such a bright person, I am just glad I met her. It really changed my life.”

Posted in: News, Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: Breaking Barriers, Cincinnati Reds, Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy, HSAN II, Jackie Robinson, Lakota West, Lakota West Freshman Campus, Meggie Zahneis, MLB Breaking Barrier's contest. Major League Baseball Breaking Barrier's contest, Promises to Keep, Ridge Jr. School, Ridge Junior School, Sharon Robinson

Meggie Zahneis, 15, shows off her media credentials in Goodyear, Ariz., at the Cincinnati Reds Spring Training Complex March 9, 2012. Photo taken by Michael E. Keating.

Unlike other journalists during spring training, players and managers alike are happy to see MLB.com’s newest reporter. She is always greeted with a smile and in the case of Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips the Lakota West freshman is even greeted with a kiss.

Their relationship began in December when Phillips visited the Lakota West Freshman Campus. He was there, along with Sharon Robinson (Jackie Robinson’s daughter) and Reds COO Phil Castellni, to honor Meggie Zahneis as she was named a youth reporter for Major League Baseball.

The 4-foot-11 Maggie Zahneis was considerably shorter than 6-foot-11 Andrew Brackman, who is a former Lakota elementary student and Moeller graduate now with the Reds. Brackman was one of the many players Zahneis interviewed for MLB.com during spring training. Photo by Michael E. Keating.

Zahneis received the honor after her grand-prize winning essay from the 2011 MLB Breaking Barriers’ essay contest fell into the hands of MLB Commissioner Bud Selig.

Her essay: “I’ve had to endure one health issue after another, and it certainly hasn’t been easy. I’m often socially shunned, and as I grow older and prepare to enter high school, this issue has become more and more prevalent.

“I know what it’s like to be different from everyone else around you, to overcome obstacles, to confront adversity. It may not be on the baseball field, but I face many of the same social and emotional barriers that Jackie Robinson did … Everyday, I try to make a conscious commitment to focus on the things I can do, and not the ones I can’t. I like to think I have the determination to forge forward with my strengths and use them to the advantage of not only myself, but of other kids with special needs. It’s my dream that someday, just like Mr. Robinson paved the way for African-Americans to play baseball, I can pave the way, through my writing, for other kids with special needs.”

Just prior to the December ceremony at the Lakota school, Castellni said he had spoken to people in Selig’s office and they claimed to “have never seen him more moved from anyone’s individual story like this one.”

Her story is quite remarkable. Zahneis, who was born with the rare disorder called HSAN II (Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy, type 2), has had to undergo countless surgeries in her 15 years of life and also has inability to feel pain, temperature and touch the same way as the rest of us.

Those disabilities, along with being completely deaf without the aid of her cochlear implants, have not stopped Zahneis from her accomplishing her dream of becoming a sports journalist.

“Writing has long been a dream of mine,” Zahneis said. “I wasn’t quite sure about it because it is so hard to get a job in that field, but I wrote the essay and I didn’t think anything would come of it … but I won and here I am.” (more…)

Posted in: News, Schools, Sports, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: Andrew Brackman, Brandon Phillips, Breaking Barriers, Brett Tomko, Bud Selig, Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Reds West Chester, Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy, HSAN II, Lakota West, Lakota West Freshman Campus, Lakota West sports, Manny Acta, Matt LaPorta, Meggie Zahneis, MLB Breaking Barrier's contest. Major League Baseball Breaking Barrier's contest, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, Phil Castellini, West Chester photos

A 14-year-old, who never wanted anything more than to blend in with her classmates, was the center of attention at Lakota West Freshman School Thursday.

During an afternoon assembly, it was impossible for freshman Meggie Zahneis to blend in when she was recognized by Major League Baseball as the first Breaking Barriers envoy and MLB.com youth reporter in front of the entire student body and special guests Sharon Robinson (Jackie Robinson’s daughter), Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips and Reds COO Phil Castellini.

Robinson actually met Zahneis last spring when she visited Lakota Ridge Jr. School to honor the then eighth grader for winning the grand prize in the 2011 MLB Breaking Barriers’ essay contest, which provides students in grades 4-8 with a chance to share their stories and how they use Jackie Robinson’s values to face their own barriers.

In her winning essay, Zahneis wrote “It’s my dream that someday, just like Mr. Robinson paved the way for African-Americans to play baseball, I can pave the way, through my writing, for other kids with special needs.”

Two weeks ago, Zahneis earned her chance to do just that when MLB Commissioner Bud Selig called her personally to offer her the job of MLB.com youth reporter.

“Obviously I am excited for the opportunity to write on MLB.com and be able to talk to my fellow kids and teens, but as the Breaking Barriers’ envoy I am also able to do that for my fellow people with disabilities as well,” said Zahneis, who was born with the rare disorder called HSAN II (Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy, type 2) that has given Zahneis the inability to feel pain, temperature and touch the same way as everyone else.

Those disabilities, along with being completely deaf without the aid of her cochlear implants, have not stopped Zahneis from dreaming about being a writer. (more…)

Posted in: Events, News, School events, Schools, Sports, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: Brandon Phillips, Brandon Phillips photos, Breaking Barriers, Bud Selig, Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Reds West Chester, Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy, HSAN II, Lakota Ridge Jr. School, Lakota West, Lakota West Freshman Campus, Lakota West sports, Meggie Zahneis, MLB Breaking Barrier's contest. Major League Baseball Breaking Barrier's contest, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, Phil Castellini, West Chester photos

Lakota West freshman Meggie Zahneis, who was the grand prize winner in the 2011 Major League Baseball Breaking Barriers’ essay contest, will be recognized again by MLB at an assembly at the Lakota West Freshman Campus Thursday.

During the assembly, Zahneis will be recognized as the first Breaking Barriers envoy and MLB.com youth reporter.

Furthermore, Sharon Robinson, daughter of hall-of-fame baseball player Jackie Robinson, will speak about the Breaking Barriers program.

Robinson actually met Zahneis last spring when she visited Lakota Ridge Jr. School to honor the then eighth grader and to share the historical story of her father breaking the color barrier in baseball.

Before Robinson could share the history about her father, Zahneis was able to share her story to the entire student body at her junior high.

Meggie Zahneis’ story

Due to a rare disorder called HSAN II (Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy, type 2) Zahneis has always been treated differently than other students her age.

“Only about 50 people in the world have it. No one has ever heard of it, so they maybe don’t quite understand what it is about me that is a little different,” Zahneis said. “That makes it harder for them to comprehend that – ‘yeah, she is just like me.’

“I would like to be as normal as possible and try to blend in.”

HSAN II has made it difficult for her to blend in. The disorder has left her with the inability to feel pain, temperature or touch the same way as everyone else. She also has had cochlear implants to help her with her hearing and has had many orthopedic issues. Overall, she has had 14 surgeries in her life prior to last spring.

In the classroom, Zahneis, who wants to be writer, is already taking advanced writing classes.

“She is a very intelligent young lady, but people looking at her don’t always get that opinion, I see it in teachers’ faces, I see it in children’s faces,” said Peggy Redman, who taught Zahneis at Lakota Ridge Jr. “It is just one of those things and she knows it. She has had to combat that. And I think she said, at one point, she thinks it is getting a little bit worse the older she gets.”

During last year’s assembly, Zahneis stood tall and read aloud her essay.

“I’ve had to endure one health issue after another, and it certainly hasn’t been easy. I’m often socially shunned, and as I grow older and prepare to enter high school, this issue has become more and more prevalent.

“I know what it’s like to be different from everyone else around you, to overcome obstacles, to confront adversity. It may not be on the baseball field, but I face many of the same social and emotional barriers that Jackie Robinson did … Every day, I try to make a conscious commitment to focus on the things I CAN do, and not the ones I can’t. I like to think I have the determination to forge forward with my strengths and use them to the advantage of not only myself, but of other kids with special needs. It’s my dream that someday, just like Mr. Robinson paved the way for African-Americans to play baseball, I can pave the way, through my writing, for other kids with special needs.”

“Meggie’s story was a standout. Her story was picked out from more than 9,700 essays,” Robinson said afterwards. “Her story was such an inspiration and something we (MLB) want share with the country and other kids.”

Posted in: News, Schools, Sports, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: Breaking Barriers, Cincinnati Reds, Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy, HSAN II, Jackie Robinson, Meggie Zahneis, MLB Breaking Barrier's contest. Major League Baseball Breaking Barrier's contest, Promises to Keep, Ridge Jr. School, Ridge Junior School, Sharon Robinson

Sharon Robinson, daughter of hall-of-fame baseball player Jackie Robinson, shared the history of her father breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball to a packed gym of Lakota Ridge Jr. students Wednesday, May 18, afternoon. Robinson made the appearance at the school to honor 8th grader Meggie Zahneis, who wrote the grand-prize winning essay in the 2011 Major League Baseball Breaking Barriers’ essay contest.

According to the Breaking Barriers’ website, the essay contest is a chance for students in grades 4-8 to share their stories and how they use Jackie Robinson’s values to face their own barriers.

>>>PHOTOS OF ROBINSON’S VISIT AT LAKOTA RIDGE JR.<<<

In her essay, Meggie wrote:

“I know what it’s like to be different from everyone else around you, to overcome obstacles, to confront adversity. It may not be on the baseball field, but I face many of the same social and emotional barriers that Jackie Robinson did … Every day, I try to make a conscious commitment to focus on the things I CAN do, and not the ones I can’t. I like to think I have the determination to forge forward with my strengths and use them to the advantage of not only myself, but of other kids with special needs. It’s my dream that someday, just like Mr. Robinson paved the way for African-Americans to play baseball, I can pave the way, through my writing, for other kids with special needs.”

Before Sharon Robinson shared her story about her father’s inspirational story, Meggie was able to share her story to the entire student body at Lakota Ridge Jr. School.

When Meggie was born, she spent the first five weeks in the hospital and she has been a frequent visitor since. Meggie, who has a rare disorder (only 50 known cases in the world) called HSAN II (Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy, type 2), has already had 14 surgeries, including several on her eyes, ears, mouth and hips. Due to the disorder, Meggie cannot feel pain, temperature or touch to the same degree of her other classmates.

“I’ve had to endure one health issue after another, and it certainly hasn’t been easy. I’m often socially shunned, and as I grow older and prepare to enter high school, this issue has become more and more prevalent,” Meggie wrote in her essay. (more…)

Posted in: News, Schools, Sports, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: Breaking Barriers, Cincinnati Reds, Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy, HSAN II, Jackie Robinson, Meggie Zahneis, MLB Breaking Barrier's contest. Major League Baseball Breaking Barrier's contest, Promises to Keep, Ridge Jr. School, Ridge Junior School, Sharon Robinson

Due to a rare disorder called HSAN II (Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy, type 2) Meggie Zahneis, an 8th grader at Lakota Ridge Jr. School, has always been treated differently than other students her age.

“Only about 50 people in the world have it. No one has ever heard of it, so they maybe don’t quite understand what it is about me that is a little different,” Zahneis said. “That makes it harder for them to comprehend that – ‘yeah, she is just like me.’

“I would like to be as normal as possible and try to blend in.”

HSAN II has made it difficult for her to just blend in. The disorder has left her with the inability to feel pain, temperature or touch the same way as everyone else. She also has had cochlear implants to help her with her hearing and has had many orthopedic issues. Overall, she has already had 14 surgeries.

In the classroom, Zahneis, who wants to be writer, is already taking advanced writing classes. This school year, her language arts class is at the freshman building and next year she will take the same course at the high school.

“She is a very intelligent young lady, but people looking at her don’t always get that opinion, I see it in teachers’ faces, I see it in children’s faces,” Lakota Ridge Jr. teacher Peggy Redman said. “It is just one of those things and she knows it. She has had to combat that. And I think she said, at one point, she thinks it is getting a little bit worse the older she gets.” (more…)

Posted in: News, Schools, Sports, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: Breaking Barriers, Cincinnati Reds, Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy, HSAN II, Jackie Robinson, Meggie Zahneis, MLB Breaking Barrier's contest. Major League Baseball Breaking Barrier's contest, Promises to Keep, Ridge Jr. School, Ridge Junior School, Sharon Robinson

Meggie Zahneis, a student at Ridge Jr. School, is the national recipient of the 2011 Major League Baseball Breaking Barriers’ contest. April 15 is the anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball in 1947. The essay contest is a chance for students in grades 4-8 to share their stories and how they use Jackie Robinson’s values to face their own barriers.

Zahneis’ essay was selected out of 10,000 entries and was about the barriers she has faced in dealing with a disorder called HSAN II (Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy, type 2). There are only fifty known cases worldwide. She cannot feel pain, temperature or touch. In addition she has cochlear implants.

According to a release from Lakota, Zahneis has had 14 surgeries; in her words, “a recipe for disaster.” Her barriers are immense but it does not seem to slow her down. She impressed the judges with her “heart rendering” essay related to Jackie Robinson’s philosophies.

Sharon Robinson, daughter of Jackie Robinson, will be visiting Zahneis’ humanities classroom at Ridge Jr. School in May to reward her and her teacher, Peggy Redman, a laptop computer. Breaking Barriers t-shirts and signed copies of Ms. Robinson’s book, “Promises to Keep,” will be given to her classmates and a collection of Scholastic Books will be given to the school.

Zahneis and Redman will be honored at a Cincinnati Reds home game during May. The grand prize also includes an all expense paid trip for her and one parent to attend the 2011 All-Star game in Phoenix, Ariz., in July.

Posted in: News, Schools, Sports, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: Breaking Barriers, Cincinnati Reds, Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy, HSAN II, Jackie Robinson, Meggie Zahneis, MLB Breaking Barrier's contest. Major League Baseball Breaking Barrier's contest, Promises to Keep, Ridge Jr. School, Ridge Junior School, Sharon Robinson, type 2