Carly Messer is a sweet and fun-loving 16-year-old who has all the grace of a figure skater and the toughness of a competitive hockey player! What a combo! Carly grew up figure skating and started playing hockey at the age of 10, therefore she feels completely at home zooming around the ice. When she began experiencing symptoms of blurred vision, stammered speech, airway closure, and trouble walking, her sport was instantly put on hold. Carly was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome. The rare illness, which affects 1 in 100,000 people, caused her to have to be hospitalized for two months and left her initially paralyzed and unable to speak.
But there is no holding Carly back! Her ambitious nature and desire to get back out on the ice with her Jr. Hurricanes (hockey) teammates have kept Carly going during her recovery. She’s currently home and her ability to speak and walk have returned. She is working on regaining her strength and stamina and is hoping to lace up her skates again soon.
Carly’s sports dream is to meet Buffalo Sabres NHL player Jeff Skinner and skate with him. Jeff is just like her, in that he also started out as a figure skater before switching to hockey. Her love and passion for the sport are all she needs and who better to share that with than Jeff Skinner!
