Mileigh Wills watched her toes the whole time. She was on a dead mat, her first time practicing her cheerleading routine without springs under her, when she knew something was wrong. “It wasn’t the break itself that was painful,” she said, “it was immediately knowing what it meant.”
The fall on August 25 didn’t just break the 18-year-old’s right fibula; it wrecked a carefully laid plan. Western Kentucky University had already admitted her into their academic program. She just needed to submit a tryout video by October 25 to lock in her dream spot on their cheer team. Now, doctors were saying she might not get back on the mat until early November.
“She called from the ER bawling, before the doctor had even given her a prognosis,” said Danielle Stepp, owner of Cheer Athletics Lexington. “She kept apologizing; she was so afraid of letting anyone down.”
Others might have quit, but Mileigh doubled down. She didn’t miss a single practice with her teams at Cheer Athletics and George Rogers Clark High School (GRC). Watching from the sidelines, she moved her lips along with the words, marked routines, and offered ideas to coaches. “When I’m back, I’ll know everything and won’t have to be taught anything,” she said.
When physical therapist Ryan Shelton said he was happy to see her foot reach 10 degrees of dorsiflexion, Mileigh pushed it to 12 degrees. She also accepted extra exercise homework to be ready to lift, throw and catch the flyers as soon as she was cleared to return to her role as a base.
“She’s in great shape — the challenge now is to get past the mind game,” said Jerrica Whitaker, GRC’s cheer coach. “If any cheerleader could overcome this, it’s her; she will come back stronger.”
Mileigh’s vision for her future goes beyond college cheerleading. Her dual-enrollment course load at her high school and at Bluegrass Technical Community and Technical College means she’ll only need two years at college for a biology degree before going on to pharmacy school. She hopes to run her own shop one day. Jerrica said she has watched Mileigh juggle multiple jobs, cheer teams and school with unwavering, quiet grace and determination.
The night before her next doctor’s evaluation, Mileigh admitted to Jerrica that she was afraid to get her hopes up, but Jerrica wasn’t worried.
“Wherever the road leads her will be perfect, because she will make it perfect,” Jerrica said. “She doesn’t give up on things.”
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