Former John Bapst Crusader and Dixmont native Abby Pyne didn’t let the end of her soccer career become the end of her passion for sports and helping others.

Pyne was a multi-time state champion and an All-American playing for the Crusaders and committed to play for the Duke women’s soccer team in college after graduation.  During her high school and college career she developed swelling in her knees that had to be corrected via surgery.  After repeated surgeries on her knees, nine to be exact, Pyne’s doctor told her that she would not be cleared to play the game again that she loved so much.  After he sophomore year at Duke she received a medical hardship, ending her soccer dreams.

Instead of dwelling on the negative, Pyne took to developing a program that takes other Duke student athletes to visit sick children.  Pyne cited one youth player who she got to know at a soccer camp that later was diagnosed with cancer at an early age as the reason why she decided to develop the program called “Athlete Wednesday”.

Pyne and other Blue Devil athletes join in with these children in local area hospitals by playing games and keeping up the kids’ spirits.

Check out this wonderful story from the Duke Athletic Program on Pyne’s journey and her great work around the Duke University community.

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