What a total stud; a very impressive young lady. Stay strong.

She sounds like a wonderful girl with a great attitude. It is tragic that she is forced to pass a physical test that could be bad for her. I hope that the school district can get a waiver of some kind.

May I offer the following to this brave young woman: please research the medical benefits of cannabis for fighting inflammation and pain related to it. Get yourself a medical marijuana card and try an indica strain with high amounts of cannabinoids and low amounts of THC. As someone who has struggled with pain from a neck injury, I can attest to its efficacy. Being able to use a natural plant from the earth beats out any man-made (read = big pharma greed induced carcinogen) any day. Educate yourself on your options instead of merely buying into the so-called medical field's recommendations based solely on their profit share.

My heart aches for this spunky young woman!! I too have an auto-immune disease that has sidelined me a good part of the time (I take Prednisone, effective but not without its "dark side.")

But seriously, there must be some way for Katie to get some special circumstances waiver. Come on; its not as though she's faking it or as though she's a slouch!! Good grief.

From the Heart - You are sooooo right. I have been on methotrexate, and it is awful, along with steroids. I'm getting my card.

Based on some quick and superficial research, it appears to me that a waiver is possible, although someone's going to have to talk to the people in Sacramento. If Katie or her parents are reading these comments, I suggest that they look at Web Link , a website of the California Department of Education, and in particular at parts 14 ("Can students be excused from the Physical Fitness Test (PFT)?") and 15 ("What is done to assist students with disabilities on the Physical Fitness Test (PFT)?") As the parent of one of Katie's classmates, and the husband of a woman suffering from another autoimmune disorder, I know how difficult these problems can be, and I admire Katie's efforts.