One may not notice any obvious difference between Bird Rock Elementary School student Elly Braunstein and other children competing in the La Jolla Junior Olympics.
But Elly has an unusual story of triumph and perseverance.
She was born with a congenial heart defect that required her to have open-heart surgery in the first week of her life.
But once she got the green light from doctors, she found a hobby in running. She hasn’t slowed down since.
Elly, now 11, first began competing in the La Jolla Junior Olympics in first grade.
The annual event, presented by the Kiwanis Club of La Jolla, typically draws 800-900 kindergartners through fifth-graders who attend public and private schools in La Jolla. It includes 50-, 100- and 200-meter races, along with other activities such as obstacle courses, softball throwing and jumping.
It also features the Fastest Boy and Fastest Girl in La Jolla 400-meter race, which Elly hopes to compete in when the Junior Olympics returns Sunday, April 26, at La Jolla High School.
Elly Braunstein competed in her first La Jolla Junior Olympics as a first-grader. (Kiwanis Club of La Jolla)
Since she began running in the Junior Olympics, Elly has brought home a gold medal in her age category in the 50-, 100- and 200-meter dash. She’ll go for the gold one more time before she moves on to Muirlands Middle School.
“After that first year of Junior Olympics, I wanted to keep doing it and I wanted to keep getting better and practice more and be competitive,” Elly said.
Shortly after she was born, the question of whether Elly would have a normal life — let alone run in races — crossed her mother Alana’s mind.
“Obviously, for any parent, you wonder what kind of disabilities [and] what kind of things might hold the child back later in school with not having much oxygen to the brain during birth,” Alana said.
She and her husband, Arthur, had no idea Elly would be born with a heart defect, causing shock to ripple through their families.
After successful surgery, the Braunsteins took Elly for periodic checkups. By the time she was a toddler, the family was told she could participate in athletic activities.
“She has had a miraculous recovery where she is 100%, and when the doctors basically said after some time [that] she has no limitations, we just really clung to that,” Alana said.
“Since we got the green light, we never considered putting any restrictions on her. So if she wanted to run, she ran.”
On weekends, Elly often runs with her father across La Jolla and Pacific Beach. And ahead of the La Jolla Junior Olympics, she’s trying out for the relay team to represent Bird Rock Elementary.
Away from the track, Elly looks to inspire other children with medical conditions to persevere.
That includes writing a letter of encouragement to a friend whose child was born with a heart defect.
“Since I went through congenital heart surgery, I think it just motivates me even more to inspire kids to do the same with their dreams and goals,” Elly said. “And I think it helps me persevere through my running and … practice.” ♦