Charlie Duffy hits mute on the TV in her home as she is being interviewed by a reporter. But she won't turn off the Women's College World Series game.

It keeps her connected to her passion.

Softball drives her through the ups and downs, the 20-something procedures she has had in her life, the cerebral palsy that she has never used as an excuse for not chasing her dreams.

The Phoenix Northwest Christian High School 15-year-old is unable to join her youth club team, the Killer Bees, after undergoing her fourth surgery, the second major one, on May 23 that will keep her away from playing softball for a while.

It's tough. She is in a wheelchair. But she knows she'll be back on the road to recovery again, hoping to join Northwest Christian in time for the 2023 softball season.

Heather Duffy, Charlie's mom, said during this recent surgery, Charlie's femur bone was cut in half and repositioned. Surgeons placed a plate in her leg with screws, cut and lengthened her Achilles and cut and lengthened her hamstrings on her left leg, Heather said.

"Knowing that I can do it, I want to be an advocate for them (others with cerebral palsy)," Charlie said. "Showing that I'll do it for them. It's hard sometimes knowing that I can't do what others can. It just pushes me harder."

Less than a week before the surgery, Duffy was chosen as the United Cerebral Palsy of Central Arizona Ambassador, "because she faithfully came to therapy and made huge strides throughout the years," said Karla Verdugo, marketing manager at UCP of Central Arizona.

Two days before the surgery, she was the emcee of a big cerebral palsy gala event in Arizona, giving a speech about her experience, motivating donors in the crowd, letting people know to never give up.

"Charlie embodies the 'Life without Limits' spirit UCP stands for and is an inspiration to everyone she comes in contact with," Verdugo added. "Her story demonstrates what UCP is all about – that everyone has a champion within.”

She is missing out on travel ball now. But she is still a part of the Killer Bees 16U team that is coached by Rob Reedy and his daughter, Tatum Shay. She uses social media to promote sports and make people aware of cerebral palsy, that there are no limits.

"The biggest thing for her is to don't judge a book by its cover," Heather said. "You never know what their story is.

"If you look at her, you don't know she's had more than 20 procedures. With this surgery, too, it's really important for her to get her story out of UCP and her love for softball, the recovery process.

"She wants to show people that you can have something like this. We can't turn the game off. But she's more excited than ever about the recovery process. She has the support of UCP. Her school coaches and her club coaches have been a huge support.

"They push her. It was never an excuse, 'I can't do this. I don't want to do this.' It was always the push, 'Why can't I do this?' She never saw the leg as an issue."

Charlie knows there can be a stigma attached. But she shatters that with her actions. She's never been embarrassed by it. 

"She's promoted it, she's like proud of it," Heather said. "Her high school coach had no idea. We told him. There's a little stigma to that. He was like, 'What should we do?' We're like, 'Nothing is different. She's the same person. We want you to push her more.' "

Reedy said that he has never seen a more determined softball player in his years of coaching club ball.

"A hard-working kid with dreams that nothing is going to stop her," Reedy said. "I've coached a lot of kids over the years, but never came across one with the perseverance of her."

Tatum, who played softball at Goodyear Estrella Foothills and New Mexico State, calls Duffy the definition of heart.

"She is loud, quirky, and one of a kind," Tatum said. "Any time she steps on the field, she has to work 10 times harder than those surrounding her, yet she wouldn't have it any other way."

Duffy was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was almost 3. It affects the motor and muscular function of the body. Some have it more severe than others.

For Duffy, it affected the left side of her body. 

Through the years, growing up, she has worn a brace on her left foot, outgrowing them. When she gets fitted for a new brace, she keeps the old one. She keeps all of them, collecting them like trophies.

There is currently no cure, but, whether it is another Botox procedure to give the muscles more flexibility and she's able to bend her ankle and knee, or a surgery, she finds a way to get through, inspiring others with her battle.

Her first procedure came when she was nearly 3.

"She would have to be casted every three months for six weeks and do Botox in a series that was a long process, many years," Heather said. "But she was still playing soccer and doing ballet and playing softball in a cast."

She figured she would get this second major surgery in her life done now rather than wait later.

Her leg was bothering her during her freshman high school season this spring, but, "I just pushed it aside."

Through her Christian faith, the prayer circles, she is able to find strength and courage.

"The comeback is going to be better than the setback," Charlie said.

Last season, for the 18-3 Crusaders, Charlie played second base and outfield, and ended up hitting .286 on the varsity with 13 RBIs.

When she gets going on the field, nobody would guess she has cerebral palsy. But she has to work twice as hard to keep up with her teammates.

"When I challenge myself with others, I have to try twice as hard, because it is competitive," Charlie said. "I want to beat them. I just have to try harder. It's helped my character, too, to never give up. No matter what I have, you just have to work through for what you want."

Tatum said everybody needs to have somebody like Charlie to be inspired.

"By her being named an ambassador for cerebral palsy, we get the opportunity to share Charlie, and the Duffy family, with the community," Tatum said. "You couldn't pick a more inspiring person to look up to for the youth community."

Charlie sees only big dreams in front of her, whether in softball or in life.

"I've come to terms with it that I'm going to have it forever," she said. "It doesn't make me sad I'm going to have it forever.

"It's a cool story. It's cool that I can play at a competitive level. It's kind of like a little secret in my pouch. Nobody knows until I tell them."

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter @azc_obert.

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