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With two minutes remaining in the first half of the Â鶹´«Ã½ Fox women’s soccer game against Willamette, a voice rings out over the speakers.

“Checking in for your Bruins, number 33, Carly Garberding!”

For most fans, this substitution does not mean much. A simple check-in with time winding down to get some fresh legs for the second half. But for Garberding, the moment — along with the many other moments like this she has experienced in her 28 games played as a Bruin — shows the benefits of her hard work.

The senior has been diagnosed with Celiac disease, a chronic digestive disorder that damages your small intestine and can prevent your body from absorbing vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients from food consumed. The disease can affect your body in severe ways, leading to malnutrition and other health problems. In the United States, one in every 141 people has some form of Celiac.

Celiac disease is different for everyone with many different versions, but for Garberding, avoiding cross-contamination is key.

“If there's any cross-contamination, you can get sick,” Garberding said, “your body shuts down and you nap for a long time until it resets itself to get all the gluten protein out. It can shut down my organs and can be a life or death situation.”

Growing up, Garberding climbed through obstacles that forced her to face the realities and struggles of having the disease. It’s even something as simple as meals; as a child, she took on the role of the “weird kid” that brought a separate cooler to all events.

Though she wanted to fit in as a child, Garberding often couldn’t. The cooler made its appearance at each gathering as a way to ensure safe food. That carried over to eating out — the senior would bring her own food to restaurants, something that would catch the eyes of others.

“Celiac was misunderstood,” Garberding said, “people didn't get it — people still don't get it. It’s different for me because I grew up with a mom that was kind enough to figure out how to work with having two people in the home with Celiac, so it's what I knew. It wasn’t strange to me.”

Despite the challenges, Garberding doesn’t let this inconvenience rule over her life.

“I don’t let it define me,” she said, “Yeah, I have it but I don’t let it conquer my life. I had it right when I was born —  because I don’t know what “normal” tastes like, it's not as hard.”

Although she has been able to find victory over Celiac, she has felt defeated by it at times; that moment typically arises in social situations, where she feels a pressure to be flexible — even when she can’t. The balance between seeking confidence through her Celiac while not letting herself feel like a burden to anyone in the process is a fine line to walk. When working through those moments, one comment rings through her head:

“I don’t want to mess up plans for other people and make it all about me.”

Likewise, her journey at Â鶹´«Ã½ Fox as an athlete on the soccer team has been a type of experiment. Those complications were exacerbated due to the worldwide setbacks of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

“Freshman year was the hardest because of COVID,” Garberidng said, “Beans and rice were the go-to, so I became very familiar with all the chefs. Being allergic to corn is the biggest issue because the main substitute for wheat flour is corn flour. I don't go out to eat often because it's so hard to accommodate that with cross contamination — you just don’t wanna risk it.”

The Bruin midfielder has battled through, though. In her four seasons for Fox, she has appeared in 29 games, starting one, and has played in 510 minutes of game action. In her sophomore season, where she appeared in nine games, the Bruins started the year undefeated for the first 11 games.

But beyond a hot start on the field or the amount of times Garberding has stepped on it, the midfielder felt like being at Â鶹´«Ã½ Fox, and being on the soccer team, was part of God’s plan.

“I’m not here to start on the field or be an all-star player,” Garberding said, “I’m here to build the legacy. Fox is where I'm meant to be. Figuring out my faith and how it's grown — I'm very much supposed to be here.”

As a senior, Garberding hopes that her story can be inspirational to anyone on a sports team dealing with an autoimmune disease in hopes of encouraging people who struggle with it.

“As an incoming freshman, make sure you acknowledge the fact that you have the disease— don't try to hide it; you should own it, not fear it!” Garberding said, “You’ll find people that love you for it, and you won't be a burden to the right people.”

It has been a long ride for Garberding. She has faced tougher hurdles than many have, but she has stayed bright and joyful throughout, determined to be there for her teammates, loved ones, and most of all, for herself.