Jessica Schilz celebrates her silver medal in Windhoek. Image: Frennie Shivambu.
(The Post News)– At just 12 years old, Jessica Schilz was told she’d never play sports again after undergoing major spinal fusion surgery. Fast forward five years, and the 17-year-old Capetonian is proudly wearing silver after reaching the singles final at the Region 5 Youth Games in Windhoek, Namibia.
Diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis, a condition that curves the spine sideways, Schilz endured a grueling recovery after doctors inserted two rods and 14 screws into her back. She had to relearn how to walk, eat, and even brush her teeth. Still, she refused to accept a life without sport. “I wasn’t ready to give up,” she said. “So I started walking 16 km every day. That’s how badly I wanted to get better.”
Two years later, she returned to the court. Since then, she’s been steadily climbing the ITF rankings and recently added a team gold medal to her singles silver in Namibia.
Now back home for her final year at Herschel Girls High School, Schilz dreams of studying and playing tennis at a U.S. college. She’s not sure if the pro circuit is in her future, but she’s not ruling anything out.
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