Teacher, coach reflects on challenges of disease

When Callie Phillips, 33, of Harrisburg, was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in February 2006, she said she felt sad and unsure of what her life would be like.

Today, Phillips said it made her grow up and become a better volleyball coach, educator, friend and student.

Phillips wrote about her growth in an essay when she applied for a $10,000 UCB Rheumatoid Arthritis Family Scholarship last year. When Phillips received a phone call saying that she won the scholarship, a UCB staff member told her how impressed she was with Phillips’ essay.

Phillips had watched a television show where a character found out that they did not have the disease of which they were diagnosed in the past. Phillips then wrote her essay about a hypothetical situation where she would find out that she no longer has rheumatoid arthritis.

“It would be like losing a friend who’s taught me a lot of lessons,” Phillips said. “(Rheumatoid arthritis) has forced me to grow up.”

For almost 30 years, Phillips did not have rheumatoid arthritis, though.

As an exceptional children’s teacher at Jay M. Robinson High School, Phillips began coaching women’s volleyball there in 2003.

Phillips said her coaching style then was to physically show the players what to do.

In 2005, though, she had foot surgery and spent that season in a boot and on crutches. As a result, she developed more pain, so Phillips visited the doctor and eventually had knee surgery.

When she awoke from her surgery on Feb. 14, 2006, she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

Phillips was not familiar with the disease, but found out that a family friend had it, so she asked her questions, talked to her doctor and found information online.

“I tried to figure out…what my life was going to be like,” Phillips said. “Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease that attacks your joints. It’s a problem with the immune system that causes the body to attack itself at the joints.”

She added that it is not a disease that is easily visible, and everyone that has it does not have the same experience or treatment for it.

Initially, Phillips said she felt like she could not do anything and was sad because she had always been an athlete.

She was also in a lot of pain at the time of diagnosis and tried various medications before finding the right one for her, she said.

Phillips continued to coach at Robinson but said it was very different.

“All of a sudden, I was not able to get on the court (to coach),” Phillips said. “That’s when I became the type of coach I wanted to be. Instead of getting out there and doing, I had to force myself to think about what I want my players to be…Having to sit back and watch plays unfold, rather than be in the moment, forces me to dissect them better and be able to articulate better to my players.”

When the 2008 season ended, Phillips resigned from coaching at Robinson.

“I had felt like I had done what I needed to do,” Phillips said. “I was tired physically and mentally.”

After resigning, her neighbor, who works at Johnson & Wales University, told Phillips about the school starting a women’s volleyball program, which needed a head coach. Phillips thought about it and researched a lot before applying for the position.

She said she almost did not pursue the job, since it would be taking on something else, but not doing it felt worse, Phillips said.

She was hired in January 2009.

Phillips said she realizes now that coaching at the college level is better suited for her and plans on continuing it.

“Being a college coach, that’s what I want to be when I grow up,” Phillips said.

Stephen Byrd, athletic director for Johnson & Wales, said Phillips has a willingness to work hard and grow, which has been crucial for the newer volleyball program.

“You need the right type of person (to help start a new program),” Byrd said. “Not only has she grown, she’s made the team better each year.”

In addition to coaching part-time and still teaching at Robinson, Phillips is also currently working toward master’s degree in Sports Administration at Wingate University.

She enrolled in January 2010 and has earned nine of the 36 credits so far. Already, Phillips said she feels like she has become a better educator and coach because of the education she is receiving.

And now, she will receive funding for the rest of her education because of the scholarship she received.

“I was so happy,” Phillips said about finding out she received the scholarship.

As she continues growing as a student, educator, coach and friend, Phillips said she would encourage people who have disabilities to pursue whatever they would like to, and she encourages people without disabilities to honor and respect what those people are working for.

She is continuing her own pursuits.

“I don’t want (rheumatoid arthritis) to prevent me from doing my best,” Phillips said.

Contact reporter Jessica Groover: 704-789-9152