Recovering Murrieta Valley Softball Player up for National Ultimate Athlete Award

A Murrieta softball player who was fighting for her life just one year ago is one of nine nationwide contestants vying to be named USA Today's Ultimate Girl Athlete.

A video about Justine Tjaden, a senior at Murrieta Valley High School, was narrated by 11-year-old Sarah Thompson of E. Hale Curran Elementary and entered in the contest by a family member.

Justine, 17, started playing t-ball when she was 4, moved up to softball when she was 7, and didn't quit until she came down with a sore throat in February 2010.

"By March 2, I was admitted to the hospital," Justine said. That led to her being placed in a medically-induced coma for 17 days and intensive care for 20 days. Doctors diagnosed it as Lemierre's Syndrome, a rare complication of throat infections that is often misdiagnosed but can lead to blood poisoning and infections in other parts of the body. If not caught in time, it can be fatal.

The condition caused a blood clot to form in her jugular vein, forcing fluid into her lungs. She developed pneumonia in the hospital, and suffered nerve damage to her left foot. The damage to her foot means she now has a condition called drop foot.

"I can't lift my leg without a brace," she said.

She returned to school and to the Murrieta Valley High School softball team, but wasn't the same. Before, she pitched and played second base. She is still a part of the team but in a different way now.

"I get to play a little bit, but not as much as I used to," she said.

While her dreams for college could have fallen by the wayside, Justine proceeded to secure a full athletic scholarship to the University of Hawaii, Manoa. She will practice and work out with university's softball team, and act as the team manager.

"I didn't really know where I wanted to go," Justine said. "But I don't think it gets any better than Hawaii."

She said she has use of her foot, but it is awkward without a brace. Doctors are still working to help her gain those skills back, she said.

The video contest is being sponsored by High School Sports Net, a division of USA Today, and is open for voting. If she receives the most votes, Justine will get a $1,000 cash prize, $500 toward her school athletics department and will be featured in USA Today. She is the only contestant from California.

Watch Justine's video here.