How catching COVID saved Memphis East girls basketball star's life

Tyra Spearman was terrified the first time her daughter Tristan Spearman stepped on the basketball court nearly three months after having open-heart surgery.

"Fear, absolute fear," Tyra said about her emotions watching her daughter train on June 12, 2021.

Tristan, though, was excited. The Memphis East girls basketball star was anxious to get back on the court. She was so ready to get moving that when she was medically cleared to be active and gained enough strength to walk, she walked 10 miles.

But after Tyra questioned whether her daughter should return to basketball, seeing her back on the court brought on a rush of emotions.

After all, it was during a workout session in November 2020 when everything changed for the Spearman's. Tristan was doing a conditioning drill when she had severe loss of breath. She couldn't even finish the drill.

That's unlike Tristan, who also has asthma. That's when Tyra knew something was up.

So the Spearman's went to their pediatrician. She didn't find any abnormalities. But out of precaution, they were sent to a cardiologist. That's when her condition was discovered and it could have been fatal, whether she was on a basketball court or off.

Surgery was the best option. But it wasn't an easy decision either.

Now three years since the surgery, Tyra, Tristan and the whole family couldn't be happier to see Tristan playing the game she loves at a high level.

She remains one of the fastest players on the court. She's still throwing no-look passes to add a little pizzazz to her court vision. And she's still going from a full sprint to a stop and pop jumper and also swishing 3-pointers.

"Now, I feel like I'm at 120 percent," Tristan said. "I feel great."

Tristan Spearman undergoes daunting surgery 

Tristan was diagnosed with a rare heart condition she had since birth called an anomalous coronary artery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tristan's right artery is on the left side of her heart.

The family received the diagnosis after she was diagnosed with the coronavirus. She may have never discovered the condition if she hadn't had COVID and her pediatrician had not taken her mother's concerns seriously and referred them to a cardiologist.

“Something you think would be sad, it was great for me,” Tristan said. “It saved my life. Without getting COVID, I wouldn’t have known that I had a life-threatening condition.” 

It was a tough decision for Tristan to have the surgery. On one hand, it addressed a life-threatening condition. On the other, she was going to have open-heart surgery.

Tristan's concern was that she would miss a lot of time away from basketball.   

"It was the (scariest) day of my life,” Tyra said. “Those hours that we waited to hear back from the doctors. When he came in, he said the surgery was a success.” 

Tristan's journey was far from over. She had to regain her strength. She started picking up weight from not being active. She didn't feel like herself.

"My biggest focus was just getting back to it, getting back to where I was before," Tristan said. "That kept me going the whole time."

And then there was basketball, the sport she loved. Getting strong enough to play basketball also kept her focus during rehab.

"That hardest part was just not being able to play basketball,” Tristan said. “I’m really thankful that I had that experience because it was the time for me to grow my relationship with God and grow myself with basketball, not being able to play.”  

A blessing in disguise 

Memphis East had its senior night on Feb. 6. The Spearmans, family and friends carved out their own section in the stands around midcourt, nearly courtside. Friends and family that hadn't seen Tristan play at all made sure not to miss her final home regular-season game.

With every play Tristan made in the quarter-and-a-half she played in Memphis East's 77-22 rout of Kingsbury, the crowd showed their love.

Seemingly everything she did that night was spectacular. She ran up and down the court, showing no signs of irregular fatigue.

She made defensive stops and turned them into transition points. She even converted an and-one in front of the Memphis East student section, drawing "M-V-P" chants when she got to the free throw line.

"That was kind of cool," Tristan said.

The pinnacle of the night was when she was recognized during the senior night ceremony during halftime of the boys game.

When the public address announced called Tristan's name, it was the loudest roar from the crowd.

"It's an honor that they really think so highly of me," Tristan said.

It’s all a blessing for Tristan to be back on the court.  

Her senior year, she's averaging 17.1 points and 3.7 assists per game this season.

"I get to see her love for the game,” said Memphis East coach Ami McNear. “People with those types of medical surgeries and things of that sort, it takes them a while to get back. But to see her passion and her love for the game each and every day that she steps on the floor, she has the whole package.” 

Reach Wynston Wilcox at wwilcox@gannett.com and on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @wynstonw__.