Diamond DeShields underwent surgery at the University of Chicago in January of 2020 after being diagnosed with a grape-sized tumor in her spine. A nine-hour procedure was used to remove the lumbar spine schwannoma, which was expected to take three hours.
There were risks going into the surgery.
The neurologist who performed DeShields surgery said that one of the possibilities is paralysis because we are operating around the nerves inside the spine.
If the tumor was not removed, it could cause paralysis because of the pressure on the spine.
Dr. Ramos was able to remove the schwannoma, but the nerves were severely impacted, causing DeShields to have tremors and spasms throughout her body. It wasn't clear whether she would regain full feeling or control of her body when she awoke after the surgery.
At one point, DeShields considered retiring, but she slowly returned to the world-class athlete she had been. All out of the public eye.
After her back surgery, DeShields helped lead Chicago to the title.
As the Sky celebrated, she thought about everything that she had overcome, about the comeback no one knew about.
DeShields said that it was all he was thinking about.
The Outside the Lines segment on DeShields, which aired May 7th, contained four more things we learned.
About 5% of the tumors we see in the spine are schwannomas, and Ramos said DeShields will have annual scans to make sure the tumors don't get bigger.
Ramos said that DeShields had a benign tumor that was compressing her spine.
He said that it was like a grape pushing on the nerve.
During the surgery, Ramos identified some of the nerves that were connected to the tumor. The medical staff was aware that she would have pain in her feet.
After waking up from the surgery, DeShields started tapping her thigh with her finger.
The director of basketball operations and the head strength and conditioning coach of the Chicago Sky, Ann Crosby, and the Sky's head athletic trainer,Meghan Lockerby, helped care for DeShields after her surgery. When the spasms started, they were there.
Diamonds would get tremors. Crosby said that it would get so bad where her body was seizing that she would have tears rolling down her eyes. We are just trying to make sure she does not hurt herself.
We couldn't predict when they would come. You can not see it. It was there all of a sudden.
I remember being in so much pain. My body went into contraction. I didn't have control over my arms.
DeShields had burning pain in her feet. It was too much to take the light touch of a bedsheet.
It was important for Crosby to assure DeShields that she was making progress.
Crosby said to have a smile on your face the minute you walk in the room.
DeShields began therapy despite the pain and tremors. She had to learn to lift her foot off the ground or her toe off the ground.
Crosby said it was learning how to walk again, how to balance again, and how to do things that you take for granted every day.
After six days in the hospital, DeShields was moved to an inpatient rehab facility, where she kept pushing the envelope, wanting to do additional exercises in between sessions of physical therapy. The medical staff put an alarm on her bed to prevent her from sneaking out of bed to exercise.
"I'm not trying to learn how to walk, I'm trying to learn how to run and jump and defend."
Crosby was concerned by that.
Crosby had full faith that she would get the motor development back, but that she would be the Diamond DeShields. It was a big gamble.
The rehabilitation continued with Crosby and Lockerby. The process was limited when they couldn't meet in person during the early months of the COVID-19 Pandemic. DeShields worked out and trained in parks near her home, collaborating through video with her trainers.
By April 2020, DeShields said she could not run in a straight line or jump. As her muscles tired, the tremors would start again, and her mobility and endurance were slow to return.
Over time, her physical abilities improved, and she remained adamant about working out every day. When it became clear that the 2020 season would be played in a bubble in Florida, DeShields felt the need to get back on the court with her teammates. She was not sure if her body was ready. She wasn't sure if she was ready to talk to the rest of the coaches and players in the bubble.
She initially told James Wade that she wasn't coming. She knew she needed to be there when she talked about it.
I need my teammates more than I do, DeShields decided.
She said that there was the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as the loneliness and isolation she was dealing with. I needed to be around them. The support and comradery was what I needed.
Crosby and Lockerby helped come up with contingency plans because DeShields was still having tremors and was trying to hide her condition. She said that her right foot was still numb, and that she wore sneakers because they were still uncomfortable. There could be tremors at any time.
DeShields said that he always had to check his emotions. If I was happy or crying, these were good emotions. I was always trying to be even-keel when I was around people.
Crosby and DeShields would meet at 5:30 a.m. to work on getting her back in shape. They would meet at night for soft tissue work and stretching.
The players were not allowed to leave the court area and return to the game. The trainers for the Sky put a table near the court and behind a curtain to give DeShields some privacy. Crosby would be given a signal by Diamond if she felt a tremor on the court.
Crosby said that she would give him the little, you know, deer in the headlights.
The season opener for Chicago was played on July 26, 2020. After taking a knee to the thigh during a game, she left the bubble in late August, but she was far below 100 percent.
Over the course of 10 playoff games last season, DeShields averaged 5.5 points and 15.7 minutes per game.
The Sky wouldn't have won the championship without DeShields, according to veteran guard Allie Quigley.
After the decisive Game 4, the Sky celebrated on the court, as they embraced.
She changed the culture, I told her, and she started winning a title three or four years ago. The piece of the championship that Diamond brought was overcoming adversity.
DeShields did not use her final season of NCAA eligibility to be selected in the NBA draft. She started 33 of the Sky's 34 games that season and was named to the All-Rookie team. She made a huge impact on the sky.
It was crazy when you saw how fast she could go on the basketball court. She would get the ball if you threw it 20 feet ahead of her. It was a pleasure to be around the team.
DeShields was voted an All-Star for the first time, winning the All-Star Skills Challenge. There was no one touching me at my position that year.
The Phoenix fell 106-88 at home in the opening game of the NBA season. DeShields is expected to play at Seattle on Wednesday despite missing the game.
When the Mercury reached out in the summer, they were not aware of what had happened to DeShields. She said she and her agent shared it all. Phoenix still wanted her.
"I have a lot of expectations moving forward and kind of getting this off me now." It is time for me to put it behind me. I am healthy now. I expect a lot.
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