She’s been wrestling since age 5.

She’s won tournaments across the country.

She’s honed her skills by wrestling boys who outweigh and outmuscle her.

And now, the Souderton freshman is taking down opponents with state titles.

But MacKenna Atkinson's toughest battle was fought far from the wrestling mat, when a baffling autoimmune illness led to months of testing, multiple surgeries, and weeks of hospitalization.

The illness ― and its treatment ― were tough. Atkinson proved tougher.

It all started with a fortuitous hotel stay with her parents.

In August of 2021, Atkinson and her parents were spending a weekend out of town. As she slept in their hotel room, Atkinson’s parents noticed something was wrong.

“We heard her snoring and it sounded like she was struggling to breathe,” recalls Chris Atkinson, MacKenna's father and her wrestling coach at Souderton. “When we went to check on her, we noticed she would stop breathing for 20 or 30 seconds at a time.”

After consulting with their family doctor, MacKenna was scheduled for a series of sleep studies. Her parents expected a diagnosis of sleep apnea, but what they were told was much more concerning.

“In her first sleep study, her oxygen levels were so low that there was immediate concern,” Atkinson said.

Another test, this one with an endoscopy, was scheduled. The Atkinsons were told that the procedure would take 90 minutes, and suggested they go for lunch.

While waiting to pay for their food, they were called to return to her room immediately.

“The ENT said her airway was nearly closed, and that a tracheotomy might be needed to keep it open," her dad said.

Hearing this news was devastating for MacKenna, who had been putting on a brave face while enduring her tests and hospital visits.

“I started crying when the doctor told me that,” MacKenna said. “That was the most scared I was throughout all of this.”

Her doctors had one more course of treatment to explore before a tracheotomy would be necessary: high-dose steroids.

The treatment worked. But it wasn’t without side effects, which included weight gain, facial swelling and loss of bone density.

Three weeks of hospitalization at CHOP

MacKenna was hospitalized for three weeks at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where she grappled with her forced inactivity.

“A lot of the time I wasn’t allowed to leave my bed, and I had a nurse sitting across the room watching me at all times,” MacKenna. “It was a struggle because even when I’m sick I want to keep busy. It brought me down a little bit.”

MacKenna Atkinson a lifelong athlete

MacKenna was born into a family of athletes.

In addition to coaching, her dad served as women’s director for Pennsylvania USA Wrestling. Her older brother was a wrestler, her older sister a cheerleader. And mom Carol Atkinson is the head coach of the Souderton softball team.

For MacKenna, though, it was wrestling that sparked an immediate interest.

“She started wrestling boys when she was still in pre-kindergarten,” Chris said. “At the time, there were few girls wrestling at that age. It was still a surprise to people when we showed up.”

MacKenna proved to be a natural, and as she honed her skills, she sought out tougher competition. That was easier said than done.

“I remember walking into a match at Bethlehem where it was 100 boys and MacKenna,” Chris said. “Someone walked up and said ’I’m not sure why you brought her here (because) no boys will wrestle her.’”

That scene was repeated many times, but when MacKenna reached middle school, interest in girls wrestling had increased considerably. MacKenna finished third in the district tournament, making her the only girl to ever place in the tournament. She advanced to the semifinals in the Keystone State Championships, and competed at the Tulsa Nationals.

Medical issues derailed her wrestling career

With her wrestling career on the upswing, MacKenna’s sudden health crisis was especially devastating. Despite the seriousness of her condition, she didn’t feel like a sick person.

While walking laps around the ICU, a doctor commented that MacKenna was “the healthiest sick person he'd ever seen.”

Even so, her doctors were plenty concerned.

MacKenna didn’t have a definitive diagnosis, despite CHOP medical staff sending her test results to specialists all over the country and performing DNA testing to look for genetic conditions. While her medical team determined that she had an autoimmune disorder, they haven’t been able to pinpoint anything more specific.

In addition to steroid treatments and endless tests, scans and studies, MacKenna needed multiple surgeries to remove her tonsils, adenoids and a portion of the back of her tongue. To make matters worse, she was diagnosed with C1q nephropathy, a rare kidney disorder. While wrestling was obviously out of the question, so was attending school, and MacKenna did virtual schooling for seventh grade.

“We didn’t know if she would wrestle again,” Chris said. “The doctors didn’t know. Even as she improved, CHOP didn’t have an answer.

“When things started getting really bad, I reached out to our friends in the wrestling community.”

The wrestling community is a tight-knit group that knows no geographic bounds.

“They responded immediately, and spread the word,” said Chris. “Soon, MacKenna was receiving cards, videos, gift baskets and messages from people around the country.”

“Seeing all the support from so many people really cheered me up,” MaKenna said. “I didn’t know anyone from East Stroudsburg University but they sent me a care package.”

In February, nearly six months after that fateful night at the hotel, MacKenna told her father she wanted to start wrestling again. After getting approval from her medical team, MacKenna started training and made her official return to the mat at a tournament at Palisades High School.

“I was nervous and excited, but once I stepped onto the mat, I knew that this is where I wanted to be,” said MacKenna. “For the first time in a while, everything felt right with the world.

“That’s when I knew that I was going to be all right.”

Getting back to normal and going back to Souderton

While MacKenna is fearless on the wrestling mat, returning to school in eighth grade proved to be a more daunting prospect.

“I was scared to go back to school because I had missed so much time and looked a lot different,” MacKenna said.

While some of her closest friends had distanced themselves during her illness, others stepped up and made the transition much easier.

But life would soon throw MacKenna another curveball.

In the spring, she broke her wrist during a weight-lifting session. After a few more visits to the hospital, the Atkinsons learned that the steroids had caused MacKenna’s bones to weaken, and her skeletal development to be delayed.

It was a low point for MacKenna after working so hard to get back to normal.

“My dad really helped me during that time because I was feeling really down and didn’t feel like doing anything most of the time,” said MacKenna. “He would ask me to go for a walk, spend time outside, and find ways to be active with my wrist injury.”

Juggling multiple sports at Souderton

MacKenna recovered in time for the summer wrestling circuit, and finished fifth in the junior national wrestling championships in North Dakota.

High school wrestling has, not surprisingly, gone very well for MacKenna. As a freshman, she is 14-1 on the season, with several tournament titles under her belt.

Her most memorable moment was pinning a senior and state-title runner up in nine seconds at the North Penn Invitational.

“I knew what she was going to do before the match started,” said MacKenna. “I found out 45 minutes in advance who I’d be wrestling and I watched videos of her matches.”

While wrestling takes up much of MacKenna’s time, especially with travel, she still finds time for other sports. She plays field hockey for Souderton and for an indoor league, and also plays softball. This year, though, she realized she needed to cut back a little bit. Instead of playing softball, she is going to be the team manager.

“Sometimes it’s stressful,” MacKenna admits. “Sometimes I put too much pressure on myself.”

MacKenna has always looked to her mom and sister to help keep her calm, but now she has a new family member to help with that.

“I have a 6-month-old puppy who is so much fun,” MacKenna said of her Bernedoodle pup. “I love to run around with him because he is so active. We say he does the “Puppy 500” when he’s zooming around. He’s the center of attention at my field hockey games.”

MacKenna is looking forward to her upcoming matchups, which include some highly-ranked opponents, and ultimately hopes to win a state championship. She is currently ranked first in her weight class in District 1/12, and second in the state by PA-Wrestling.com.

While there is much she hopes to accomplish and achieve in wrestling, MacKenna is keeping it in perspective.

“Going through what I did makes me appreciate wrestling even more,” MacKenna said. “When I was at the hospital, I realized there are so many people who will never have the opportunity to do what I’m doing.”

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: PIAA Girls High School Wrestling: Souderton's Atkinson perseveres