Comeback Student Athletes Recieve Awards

By Brooke Mortensen

May 12, 2010 — The first ever Comeback Student Athlete of the Year and Fan Fave Comeback Student Athlete of the Year awards have been presented to Brett Butler, a senior at Corona del Sol High School, and Tayler Renshaw, a senior at Xavier College Preparatory in Phoenix.

The Sports Medicine program at Phoenix Children's Hospital gives the awards to outstanding athletes between the ages 8 and 18 who have returned to athletic competition after receiving treatment for an injury, illness or physical limitation.

Butler, of Chandler, was diagnosed with a brain tumor that caused debilitating seizures. After undergoing surgery to remove the growth two years ago, the right side of his body was left paralyzed. That didn't stop him from eventually returning to Corona del Sol’s cross-country and varsity baseball teams.

“I didn’t realize that it was that big of a deal, but after the surgeries, it slowed me down completely and it was devastating,” Butler says. “It’s really tough to do certain tasks, but I am living through it and always giving it 110 percent.”

Butler was awarded the Comeback Student Athlete of the Year and received a $2,500 scholarship and a $1,000 cash prize for his school’s athletic program. He will attend ASU in the fall.

“I plan to be a physical therapist or sports doctor so that I can help people that are going through the same thing that I went through,” Butler says.

Renshaw was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2009, which forced her to quit soccer.

“It was really tough when I first started getting sick and it was tough to not have my body keeping up with what I wanted to do,” Renshaw says. Her continuing treatment requires infusions every six weeks but she was able to return to her varsity soccer team at Xavier College Preparatory. She will attend Occidental College in Los Angeles in the fall and plans to continue her soccer career there.

“I was able to work through almost everything,” Renshaw says. “I was determined to get my body back and strength back to where it was before I got sick.” Renshaw was awarded the Fan Fave Comeback Student Athlete of the Year and received a $2,000 scholarship and a $1,000 cash prize for her school’s athletic program. The winners were chosen after a seven-month period of nominations across the Valley. Learn more about the Comeback Student Athlete of the Year Award.