She went back to UNC to finish the school year before returning home for the 2009 summer, but that July, she realized she would not be returning to Chapel Hill in the fall.
In and out of the hospital and unable to eat, Wood was bedridden for four months. Though rail-thin after losing 30 pounds from her 6-foot frame, the athlete inside her was aching to come out.
“To not be able to do something athletically was terrible,” Wood said. “To be able to shut your mind down and let your body heal is something that an athlete doesn’t really know how to do.”
Watching from afar
Despite being more than 2,000 miles away, Wood remained in the thoughts and hearts of her teammates and coaches back in Chapel Hill during her absence.
Regular correspondence with the fellow players and letters from coach Anson Dorrance, who offered Wood a medical redshirt, kept the dream of returning to the game in the forefront of her mind.
The 2009 season was a success for the UNC women’s soccer program, and on Dec. 6, UNC defeated Stanford 1-0 for its 20th NCAA title.
Though not on the field to help her teammates take the crown, Wood felt right there with them during their moment of glory.
“It was really hard to sit there and have to watch it on TV and not be able to be there,” she said. “But I would get e-mails and text messages. I always felt a part of it.”
Back to the grind
While continuing to recover during the next six months, Wood wasn’t able to consistently train until June 2010 — just six weeks before the soccer preseason.
Though out of commission for more than a year, Wood arrived in Chapel Hill to take part in a fitness test with the rest of the team.
To Dorrance’s surprise, she finished just short of a perfect score.
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“Honestly, a healthy player fails this test on a regular basis,” Dorrance said. “So I knew right then she was going to have a huge impact for us this fall.”
Though nervous to be returning to the intensity of North Carolina women’s soccer after a year away from the game, Wood was ecstatic to be back in Chapel Hill — she had no expectations of receiving much playing time.
But Dorrance had something else in mind for the former reserve.
“She couldn’t have timed her return any better … and it bodes incredibly well for our future,” Dorrance said. “She came back not only a better player but a better leader and an inspiration.”
After losing all-ACC center back Whitney Engen to the pros last season, there was a large hole on UNC’s roster for a leading defender.
A new and improved Wood was the right person to fill the space.
“Just to be able to be back and playing is more than a dream come true,” Wood said. “And then to be able to start and give significant minutes and to be able to contribute — I don’t think anyone could have imagined it.”
A fresh start
In Saturday’s 7-2 victory against Tennessee, the defender’s powerful leg sent two free kicks into the box that UNC drove in for goals.
Thanks to an online live stream of the game, Wood’s parents were able to see their daughter play the game she loves for the first time since her return — even from the West Coast.
It was a moment Cindy won’t soon forget.
“What I loved was that I saw her smiling and laughing, and I saw her really enjoying the game,” she said. “I think now, having been sick, she just thinks, ‘I’ve got nothing to lose.’?”
Because ulcerative colitis is a chronic illness, Wood will live with it for life. A self-proclaimed perfectionist, Wood said the experience of having her dream ripped from her has put everything in perspective.
Knowing she could get sick again at any time, Wood said she’s not hesitating to soak all the experiences in, and she thinks her newfound outlook has made her a better player.
And for Wood, that’s just one more reason to rejoice.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
