How a Girl With Epilepsy and These College Volleyball Players Became Sisters

Sara Robinson loves getting ice cream, watching Disney movies and going to the park with a group of girls she refers to as her sisters — even though none of them are related to her. Sara, 10, who has epilepsy and underwent radiation for a now stabilized brain tumor, was “adopted” by the Colorado State University (CSU) volleyball team through Friends of Jaclyn, an organization that pairs children who have cancer with high school and undergraduate sports teams. Now, she has a surplus of friends.

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Sara has lived with epilepsy since she was just 10 days old, and due to her seizures, had never had a sleepover with anyone, except when visiting her grandparents.

“Kids her age don’t understand her, as her speech and cognitive learning is severely delayed due to her epilepsy and medications she takes daily,” Jay Robinson, Sara’s dad, told The Mighty in an email.

But after her parents taught the CSU team what to do if Sara has an emergency, the players and her held a sleepover in the girls locker room, complete with candy and a movie.

Sara’s been in and out of the hospital her entire life. The CSU team sends her messages on Facebook and calls her to chat all the time. Next week, players are taking Sara to get her ears pierced.

“Her sisters don’t care in the least [about her condition],” Jay Robinson told The Mighty,” and it shows, as Sara has matured a lot in the last several months, from hanging out with the team.”