Emma’s family attributed her childhood physique to the frequent bouts with sickness. But when Emma got the chance to participate in sports in middle school, the unrelenting sickness began to recede.
“I got more into sports, and everything seemed to go away,” Emma said.
A few years later in high school, Emma began to develop a strict fitness regimen in order to feel good on the field. This is something Emma prides herself on — and something that might have helped her recovery.
Emma flourished her junior and senior years at Lakeland High School in Shrub Oak, N.Y. She earned All-American honors, winning her second and third state championships and was named the National High School Coaches Association Field Hockey Player of the Year her senior season. This success did not go unnoticed by college coaches.
UNC Coach Karen Shelton got to know Emma through recruiting, and always saw potential in Emma’s ability to make the people around her better.
“She’s been a veteran leader for us. She is always dedicated to whatever she does,” Shelton said.
A successful college athlete, scoring against the best in the country, Emma had no reason to think anything was out of the ordinary.
“I got sick less frequently, and I was getting in great shape,” Emma said. “It really made me think nothing was wrong.”
‘Something is not right’
One surgery. 600-plus miles. Countless support.
After playing with the U-21 United States National Team earlier this year, Emma came to Chapel Hill in the summer to catch up with her friends from school. Surrounded by teammates and her sister, Dana, everything seemed normal.
One evening in Chapel Hill, Emma began having the odd sensation she could not breathe. But, like any dedicated athlete would do, she attempted to ignore it.
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“I drove to the ER, but turned around,” she said. “I didn’t want to go.”
The rest of the night turned out to be a struggle for Emma. She laid awake unable to sleep until the early hours of that morning when her life began to change.
“Dana, you have to take me to the hospital, something is not right,” she said.
Dana immediately took her sister to the ER. It was here, hundreds of miles from home, that she became Emma’s main support.
Once alerted of Emma’s state, her parents intended to come down from New York. But Dana assured them everything was under control.
A “minor hiccup,” she told them over the phone.
Hours passed, tests were run and finally the doctor came with the news. An infection had formed in the blocked crevice of her lung. Surgery was required.
“Everyone was nervous,” Dana said. “We knew it was serious, but I couldn’t let Emma know.”
The operation was successful. Because of Emma’s high-level of fitness, she was released from the hospital eight days ahead of schedule.
Everything was looking up, until another obstacle presented itself — a collapsed lung, just weeks after the surgery.
Emma spent most of her summer in and out of the hospital, but she had some company along the way.
“Dana was my rock,” Emma said. “If I became emotional, she would calmly tell me everything was alright.”
Dana, now a senior in high school, missed most of the last month of her junior year staying with her sister. Emma’s teammates offered Dana a place to stay so she could be where she was needed.
“I knew I had to be with her,” Dana said.
During her hospital stay, Emma was faced with the task of alerting teammates, friends and family of her diagnosis.
Emily Wold, one of Emma’s best friends, wasn’t in Chapel Hill at the time, leaving Emma one emotional Face-Time call to make.
“I didn’t recognize the background ... Where are you?,” Wold said. Then Emma explained everything.
“I was in shock,” Wold said.
Emma described the situation to Wold with true positivity, even in her condition.
“She is so hard working, and always kept a positive attitude,” Wold said.
One comeback
Like any dedicated athlete, Emma could not stay away from the field.
Shelton, who supported Emma throughout the process, was thrilled to hear Emma express interest in being on the coaching staff this fall.
“I’m excited about having her,” Shelton said. “She’s helping us, and knowing her, she’ll return 100 percent next year, no doubt about that.”
The senior is serving as an undergraduate assistant coach while she rehabs, and everybody around the situation is 100 percent team Emma.
Emma is dedicated to helping the team in any way she can, while also completing her senior year. It might take a while to feel normal, but Emma has endured far worse challenges.
“The doctor said she’s been compensating her whole life for the part of this lung that was not even functioning,” Shelton said.
A star in every aspect, Emma was an offensive force for the Tar Heels, leading her to wonder if her condition ever affected her play.
“It’s hard to say after three years of Division I field hockey, playing (with the) U.S. team on multiple occasions,” Emma said. “For me to think I was sick the entire time, I just never would’ve thought.”
Nobody would have.
This summer was truly life-changing for Emma. But throughout the process, Emma managed to find solace.
“It’s terrible, but Emma is the one who can handle it,” Dana said, admiring her sister. “She will find the good in anything she does.”
An experience like this could completely derail some people, but not Emma Bozek.
@WBOD3sports@dailytarheel
