Our daughter was severely injured by a boy playing girls’ high school volleyball

The high school volleyball game that took place on September 1, 2022 changed the lives of our family forever. My daughter Peyton was hit in the head and neck with a spike from a man on the opposing team who identifies as transgender, and she lay unconscious on the gym floor in a fencing position. Later we found out that she had suffered a traumatic brain injury; She became partially paralyzed on the right side of her body, unable to speak or see clearly.

In hindsight, we should never have let her play in that game. We knew that a biological male player would be playing against Peyton's team, and like most parents, we objected to school officials' decision to have him play against a young woman. But what we didn't understand at the time was how much of a risk the presence of a man in that court posed to our daughter's safety.

That's what I do now.

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The weeks and months following Peyton's injury were an emotional blur. I ended up being a full-time carer for my then 17-year-old son, who had always been capable and independent. It seemed like overnight Peyton started suffering from everything. She suffered from debilitating head and neck pain, was unable to drive, and needed help at school to relearn basic cognitive processes.

When she had a moment of clarity, her eyes reflected the fear of what was happening to her mind and body. She used to excel at everything she did, but now she has trouble even combing her hair. All of her hopes and dreams, all of her hard work in the classroom and on her sports teams, all of the sacrifices she made to pursue her dream of graduating high school and playing softball, were all gone.

A few months after the injury, Peyton began to fall into a deep depression. With the doctor's permission, we encouraged her to return to sports slowly and with great care. She returned to her school's basketball team and it took a few weeks to get used to her new physical limitations, but the struggle was just what Peyton needed. She fell numerous times, played through extreme physical pain, and was visibly disoriented at times. There were many tears and regrets, but she was determined not to let anything else be taken away from her.

Peyton was also able to return to her favorite sport, softball, which she had hoped to attend in college. Although her injury ended her chances of playing at the collegiate level, Peyton wasn't ready to give up completely.

The season got off to a slow start. Her legs were shaking while she sat behind the bat as the team's catcher. I sat behind her and watched as tears of pain streamed down her face. She couldn't steal bases anymore because her bad foot was stuck underneath her, all she could do was slide with the glove in her hand, so she needed something to focus on.

At some point, Peyton realized she could no longer remain silent about the trauma she had endured. And then I realized that neither her father nor I could do that.

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All I ever wanted as a parent was to protect my children. Governments and education systems also have a responsibility to protect children. That's why we supported Payton as she advocated for the Fairness in Women's Sports Act in the North Carolina General Assembly. Payton's testimony led the North Carolina state legislature to override Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's veto and ban biological male athletes from competing against women's sports teams.

But there is still much work to be done. Despite the overwhelming physical dominance of men, at least 24 states still allow biological males to compete on women's sports teams. These policies put the safety and well-being of girls at risk.

Peyton McNabb's parents, Pamela and Danielle, have decided to speak out about her injury.

If these states refuse to act aggressively to protect young women from the harm that Peyton did, then parents must take action on their behalf. To my fellow moms and dads: please don't make my family's experience your own. Pull your child out of the game. Talk to your child's coach. Demand better from your child's school and state representatives.

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Peyton has made a lot of progress and I'm grateful for that. The damage to her neck was still significant, and during her final examination, doctors discovered that her pituitary gland had misfired. She will have lifelong complications from this avoidable injury.

But I celebrate and support Peyton for who he has become. She's ferocious, tough as nails, quick-witted, and a little bit mean-spirited. If there was any good that came out of her injury, it was that nothing was holding her back anymore. Our young woman, once quiet and shy, has found her voice.