14-year-old Danica Minter, of Halethorpe, is the August 2022 winner of the Chick-fil-A Everyday Heroes award.

HALETHORPE, Md. — Danica Minter knows how to land a strike.

She’s played softball since she was three, throwing change ups, fastballs and drop balls. But life threw her a big curve ball in 2020 when she was diagnosed with Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura, or ITP.

“I was at softball across the bridge in Ocean City and I had back pain and bruises,” she said.

ITP is a blood disorder that can cause internal bleeding and bruising. Minter takes medication daily for it and has to be careful when playing her favorite sport.

“I play travel softball, so there are times I can’t play because if I get hit with a ball, I could bleed out and be rushed to the hospital.”

The ITP diagnosis hasn’t slowed her down much on the field or when it comes to her work in the community. One group she volunteers with is the Drops of Love Foundation. Minter helps out with their collection drives and will also pick a child around the holidays to buy them gifts.

Source: 14-year-old Danica Minter gives her time to charity, working with special needs students