The moment Sarah Sue Morbitzer’s doctors always warned her about arrived at the worst possible time.
New on campus as a freshman on the Ohio State women’s volleyball team in the summer of 2020, Morbitzer was on the cusp of fulfilling a childhood dream: donning the scarlet and gray to play the sport she loves for her hometown Buckeyes. But within arm’s reach of her longtime goal, a heart condition that predated Morbitzer’s earliest athletic aspirations threatened to take it away before her freshman season began.
Morbitzer was running sprints during team conditioning drills that August when she realized something didn’t feel right. At first, Morbitzer chalked up her struggles to the normal acclimation period any high school athlete faces upon stepping up to the Division I level. But as the issues persisted, she could no longer pretend they were ordinary.
“I couldn't complete all the reps, I was having a lot of shortness of breath, I couldn't catch my breath quickly,” Morbitzer told Eleven Warriors. “A lot of tightness in my chest, some chest pain. The biggest thing was during the rest time, it seemed like my teammates were able to catch their breath and be ready for the next one. But I was still huffing and puffing and not ready to go for the next run. So I think that was a big indicator. Because growing up, we didn't really have that intense of workouts. So I wouldn't have known ever. But at that moment, I definitely felt different compared to everyone else.”
At two days old, Morbitzer was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot. The chronic condition is caused by a combination of four congenital heart defects and is so rare that fewer than 20,000 cases are seen nationwide each year. Morbitzer underwent open heart surgery to repair three of her heart valves at just four months old, and the procedure left her with a lifelong scar that she’s had since before she can remember.
“I'm so much more than a volleyball player, so much more than someone who's had heart surgery. Little pieces of everything has formed me into who I am today.”– Sarah Sue Morbitzer
Morbitzer never let her condition hold her back from pursuing an athletic career. Her mother, Carole Morbitzer, was a longtime volleyball coach who helped her daughter foster a love for the sport and helmed Sarah Sue’s high school program at Hamilton Township in Columbus. Morbitzer’s story eventually helped her land an autobiographical children’s book deal through Management Enterprises Plus, a company that has represented NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal for nearly a decade.
But all that was at a standstill when Morbitzer faced the prospect of a second open-heart surgery in her first year at Ohio State.
Since middle school, Morbitzer’s doctors told her she’d need another procedure to replace the fourth valve in her heart. When she would need it, though, was not an exact science. It was only during preparation for the start of her college volleyball career that Morbitzer realized the moment might come sooner than expected.
“He always said, 'You're gonna know when you know,’” Morbitzer said. “And in that moment, I knew.”
Morbitzer has known Ohio State women’s volleyball director of operations Caitlin Insana since she was in elementary school, so when Morbitzer committed to the program as a walk-on, the administration was already well-versed in her medical background. But Morbitzer was recruited by former head coach Geoff Carlston, whose contract was not renewed by Ohio State following the 2019 season.
A head coaching change didn’t deter Morbitzer from joining the Buckeyes. During their first phone call, she impressed new coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg, at which point Morbitzer told her she was “absolutely” still committed to Ohio State, and the rest was history. But as a first-year head coach taking over during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Oldenburg had “no idea” about Morbitzer’s condition until she underwent a physical examination upon coming to campus.
At the time, Morbitzer told Oldenburg, “it’s fine,” citing how long she’d already dealt with the condition without issue. Of course, it didn’t take long for complications to arise after that. Oldenburg told Morbitzer she didn’t need to push as hard as the rest of the team during preseason conditioning, but Morbitzer didn’t want special treatment.
“We're fortunate that we had monitors on. Everybody's heart rate was monitored daily,” Oldenburg told Eleven Warriors. “And for her, it was like, ‘Hey, you have a heart condition. You don't need to do everything everybody else is doing.’ And so I'm old school in terms of we're gonna push, we're gonna demand, we're gonna do all of those things. But man, this is a serious heart condition. If you take a sprint off, it's OK. I understand, your teammates will understand. And if they don't, too bad. They don't have this heart condition.
“So those are the conversations I was having, not knowing she was like, 'This isn't for me. I want to make sure I make every sprint. I want to make sure I do those things.' And I think that's where it just showed me how much she cared and how great of a teammate she was, that she was willing to take a big risk and have this surgery to make sure she wasn't missing sprints.”
After an appointment with the cardiologists at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Morbitzer was given three options. She could wait for surgery after the season and modify her training regimen to avoid complications. Morbitzer could’ve had another open-heart surgery immediately, but that would’ve entailed a six-month recovery process. Eventually, doctors determined Morbitzer could also opt for a transcatheter procedure as a far less invasive alternative.
At that point, perhaps others would’ve chosen to give up their athletic endeavors entirely. But Morbitzer? Not a chance.
“I don't think that ever crossed my mind. I always wanted to be a Buckeye, so I knew what my dream was. And I didn't want my dream to get taken away from me before it barely even started,” Morbitzer said. “So even though I knew that was gonna happen my freshman year, I still was just like, how can we get this done, and how can we move on? So that was kind of my mindset.”
Morbitzer’s parents wanted her to put off the operation for the time being, but that didn’t work for her. Morbitzer wanted to be put through all the same workouts as her teammates, and that would only be possible if the surgery was done in short order.
“That's the part that scared my parents the most because I wanted to get it done as soon as possible,” Morbitzer said. “I didn't want to wait a whole season and have to adjust my workouts. Because I was only a freshman, I didn't want to be the girl riding the bike as a freshman. I want to be a good teammate. I wanted to show my best. So I decided to get it done as soon as possible.”
Oldenburg was concerned after finding out Morbitzer’s parents weren’t on board but said she was so adamant about what she wanted that trying to talk her out of it would’ve been a futile effort. After that, surgery was on the books for December 2020, which was still before the team’s COVID-delayed start to the volleyball season.
The night before the surgery, Morbitzer received a surprise from her teammates. Oldenburg helped orchestrate the Buckeyes to record videos with words of encouragement to send to Morbitzer, and it was a moving moment for the freshman. While their support touched her, it also grounded her in the reality of the situation.
“It meant so much to me. I was just a freshman, I didn't know everyone so well as I do now. And so that little video, that two-minute video, it made me cry for the first time about everything.” Morbitzer said. “And I hadn't been scared up until that moment, and I was like, 'Oh, this is real.' But I have so much support and so much love, and I was ready to get it. And everyone's support just helped so much throughout everything.”
The operation was successful, but what came next might have been the most surprising development. Morbitzer returned to the volleyball court just two weeks after surgery and was cleared to play in Ohio State’s first game of the season.
“We just call her the heart of the team. You hear that phrase over and over again, and she is. Because she just goes in and does her job. She doesn't complain, she doesn't moan about it.”– Jenn Flynn Oldenburg
Her resilience floored Oldenburg and the Buckeyes.
“She's like a superhero. Like, super impressed,” Oldenburg said. “I was like, 'Hey, you don't have to be in this drill.' She's like, 'I'm going in the drill.' I'm like, OK, well, if you need a break, it's OK. And I think she's just so tough and wants to show everybody and just be there for the team that she would be mad if she had to take a water break. I'm like, 'Sarah Sue, you just had major heart surgery. Like, this isn't a hangnail. Go get water, take a second, then come back in.' And her goal was to take less and less breaks throughout practice. And she did.
“She just kept getting stronger and getting back to the court. And she talks about this being her dream, and for us, I feel like she's a dream player to have on the team because she just works so hard and for all the right reasons.”
The story was already inspiring enough ahead of Ohio State’s season opener against Maryland on Jan. 22, 2021. Given the circumstances, Morbitzer didn’t actually think she would see the floor in her first contest. But in a twist of fate, the player ahead of her on the depth chart missed the game with an illness.
Oldenburg didn’t think twice about putting Morbitzer on the court. As she puts it, “volleyball seems simple when you've been through heart surgery.” As a result, Oldenburg gave Morbitzer and her family a moment they’ll cherish forever.
“Honestly I didn't expect to play. I mean, I was just a freshman,” Morbitzer said. “But we had a senior that couldn't play that was ahead of me in my position. And she got sick the week before or the week of, and I was kind of the next in line. And I was like, 'Oh my God, like I am not ready for this.' But I was really excited. It was so surreal. I remember running out of the locker room for the first time and my jersey was so cool. My parents sobbed of course. I think they still probably cry every time I touch the court. It was really cool.”
Ohio State won the game and amassed a 16-4 record in Morbitzer’s freshman season, bowing out in the regional semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament. The Buckeyes made a Sweet 16 appearance in Morbitzer’s sophomore season, and Morbitzer helped them break through to the Elite Eight this past season for the first time since 2004.
Despite starting her career as a walk-on, the program put Morbitzer on scholarship last April. Upon hearing the news during a team meeting, Morbitzer was moved to tears, and her teammates raced to her side to support her once again.
I am grateful every day to wear a Block O on my chest, but especially today. thank you a million times https://t.co/25k7knsZVA
— Sarah Morbitzer (@SarahMorbitzer) April 18, 2022
As impactful as Morbitzer is on the court, Oldenburg said she means much more to the team than simply what she does between the lines.
“We just call her the heart of the team. You hear that phrase over and over again, and she is,” Oldenburg said. “Because she just goes in and does her job. She doesn't complain, she doesn't moan about it. She comes in to practice every day, she gives her full self. … I think there's times where, if our players are like, 'Oh, that's hard.' I'm like, 'Talk to Sarah Sue. I feel like her transition was a little bit more difficult.' And then they're like, 'Yeah, you're right.' So it's just perspective. I think she gives us a lot of perspective and just a lot of heart for our team."
Morbitzer already has her sights set on life after volleyball. Having spent years in the doctor’s office learning about her condition, Morbitzer began developing a new goal in high school, and one that doesn’t involve athletics. Morbitzer plans to attend medical school to become a pediatric cardiologist in hopes of helping kids going through similar situations to the one she’s battled.
“In middle school is when I started paying attention in my appointments. And my cardiologist always told me, 'Describe your condition to me. I want you to be proud of it. I want you to be able to tell everyone what you have and what you've gone through,’” Morbitzer said. “And so that was really cool for me as I was growing up because he wanted me to be proud of it and not scared of showing off my scar and all of that. So in high school was when I really started thinking this is something I might want to do. I like telling my story and I like inspiring young kids that are maybe scared to have that scar. So I think in high school is when it really clicked. This is my passion, and I think this is like a dream job kind of thing.”
Before she can accomplish that goal, Morbitzer is hard at work on another avenue to inspire the masses prior to the end of her time at Ohio State. While attending an NIL summit in Atlanta over the summer, a lightbulb went off for Morbitzer. Leonard Armato, founder and CEO of Management Plus Enterprises, implored student-athletes at the event to find their story and run with it. Suffice to say, Morbitzer has quite a compelling story herself.
Oldenburg often lauds Morbitzer for her ability to tackle life head-on, and she did so again in that moment. Morbitzer overcame her nerves and approached Armato in person to discuss her backstory and a way to amplify it further.
“I was texting my mom during it and I was like, 'Hey, I think I need to go talk to this guy.' Like this is my chance to make a connection,” Morbitzer said. “And so I couraged up stuff and I went and introduced myself and told him my story. And I was like, 'Hey, I want to write a children's book.' … He was all for it. And he gave me an email address for someone at his company, and then it kind of took off. And we're in the process, so I'm really excited. We have found an illustrator and it's almost completely written.”
Morbitzer isn’t just handing her story over for others to tell. She’s the author of the book and enlisted the services of an illustrator that, fittingly, works in the transcatheter lab at Children’s Hospital. Pending the artwork and any potential issues with Ohio State’s logo rights, Morbitzer plans to release her work before the start of the next volleyball season.
Morbitzer found a way to profit from her journey in the age of NIL, but that’s far from the sole reason she’s opted to tell her story in book form. Never shy about her condition, Morbitzer’s athletic career helped give her a platform to show her strength and perseverance to those going through similar struggles.
Morbitzer is no stranger to receiving messages from people struck by her story. And with her upcoming book and future career in cardiology, she wants to continue empowering kids to pursue their dreams no matter what medical condition they may be dealing with.
“I've always been proud of my scar. My parents will tell everyone that. Growing up, I was never scared of it, of showing it off at the pool or why I have it, and no one else does,” Morbitzer said. “So I was always proud of that. And then, as I've gotten into college, I have created a platform without me even really knowing it. It kind of came to me. There was a girl from Wisconsin that reached out after the Big Ten story, and she has the same condition as me. She's 16, and she reached out saying, 'You are such an inspiration as an athlete, and you've come so far throughout everything.' So that was really cool for me.
“And then over time, more people have reached out, and little kids' parents have reached out to my parents and to me, just saying, 'How did you do it?' So it's been really cool. And that's one of the reasons why I want to become a cardiologist – to show families that it's not the end of the world. Even if the surgery sounds so scary, there's still hope at the end of the tunnel, and your child can still become a Division I athlete, can become anything they want.”
Tetralogy of Fallot is an unfortunate fabric inextricably woven into Morbitzer’s life story, and her condition has informed many of her life decisions and made her stronger in the process. But as she’s proven in her courageous volleyball career and beyond, it doesn’t define her as a person, and it sure won’t stop her from achieving any goals she has in mind.
“I'm so much more than a volleyball player, so much more than someone who's had heart surgery. Little pieces of everything has formed me into who I am today,” Morbitzer said. “And so being a volleyball player has helped me with so many things. But also, the heart condition has helped me with so many things. And then even my passion to be a cardiologist, like so many different things, have formed me into who I am. So I think that piece of me is what I'm most proud of and what I would want people to know.”
