When student athlete LeAundra Walker-Brown steps onto the basketball court, she carries with her more than just athletic dreams. She carries the weight of overcoming seemingly impossible odds and the strength of a leader who speaks up for herself and her teammates.
After graduating high school in 2018, LeAundra initially pursued her basketball career at Cal State San Bernardino. What should have been the beginning of a fruitful athletic journey instead became a testament to her resilience. Soon after enrolling, LeAundra began to battle major depressive disorder, anxiety, and even survived a suicide attempt after the first season. If that wasn’t enough, LeAundra played most of her games in extreme pain because of a mysterious medical condition that doctors could not pinpoint for years.
“I experienced 10 out of 10 pain when I would play,” shared LeAundra. “It felt like pins and needles were being stabbed in my legs. My feet and legs would turn numb, get tingly, and I would have episodes that would last 10 to 15 minutes.”
For years, LeAundra fought through these pains on her own, all in pursuit of her basketball dreams. Then, she was finally able to get an accurate diagnosis. LeAundra had exertional compartment syndrome, a condition where reduced blood supply and oxygen to her leg muscles caused excruciating pain. The good news was that she finally knew what was causing the problem. The bad news was that she would have to undergo surgery on both legs to fix it.
Shared LeAundra when recalling life after surgery, “I was down for months, and then had to build back my muscle memory and leg strength from there.”
But despite the long recovery journey, LeAundra never lost hope. “During these struggles, my faith was really the foundation for me in terms of patience," she shared. "When I went into surgery, I was already mentally prepared because I had gone through years of pain. It was finally relief at that point."
It wasn’t only the physical challenges that LeAundra had to battle at this time, either. She soon found out that her basketball eligibility status wasn’t handled properly by school officials, which meant LeAundra was forced to petition the NCAA directly for her years of athletic eligibility. Without this, her basketball dreams could have been cut short. The complex process was far from easy, but LeAundra was determined, and nothing was going to stop her. Thankfully, she was able to fix the problem to regain her collegiate eligibility.
This was the period when LeAundra knew she needed a change in order to thrive both physically and mentally. Fortunately, she already had a personal connection to San Diego through her family and her best friend, who lived in the area. Her friend mentioned that there was this great community college in the region and that she should check it out.
After a closer look, LeAundra realized that MiraCosta College might offer the perfect environment. The basketball program was strong, and the academic opportunities were
some of the best available. Just a few short months later, LeAundra enrolled and became a full-time student at MiraCosta College.
Yet just because LeAundra was in a new environment, it wasn’t without its challenges. Turnover with the team’s coaches meant that LeAundra was tested from the very start. Just days before the team’s first game, their head coach stepped away, and LeAundra had to decide if she wanted to walk away or endure the new challenge.
As LeAundra explained, “What I've learned is that adversity is the experience that shapes who you will become. I didn't want to run from this.”
What followed was a difficult season that was cut short due to internal issues with the team. But instead of letting that leave a stain on the entire experience, LeAundra spoke up. As the team's natural leader, LeAundra found herself advocating for her teammates' well-being.
“My teammates trusted me enough to tell me what was happening," LeAundra said. "Right away, we sat down with the athletics department, and they were very proactive. They believed in us and took the steps to help solve the situation.”
When looking back on this moment and the years of adversity that LeAundra has overcome, she is quick to point out her family upbringing. As the oldest of seven children, with six younger brothers, LeAundra learned early what it meant to be a protector and guide.
“My mother worked two or three jobs, so I was like a parent to my siblings at times,” she recalled. “My grandmother was also a Chief Master Sergeant in the military, so she taught me leadership, and my mother would remind me never to be silent, especially on things that you know aren't right.”
While basketball has been LeAundra's passion since age four, when her father first taught her the game, her ultimate goal extends far beyond the court. She is currently pursuing a career in neurology, driven by deeply personal experiences with brain-related conditions affecting her family.
“I have seen through my own family’s medical conditions that the brain is a very complex thing,” explained LeAundra. “I want to help find some type of cure or resolution for those who may be going through conditions that don't have a cure right now.”
For years, LeAundra has worked with homeless populations struggling with various disorders. She knows what it means to struggle with unknown issues and come out the other side. And despite everything she has endured, LeAundra maintains an unwavering, even infectious, optimism that is hard not to notice.
Shared LeAundra, “I'm a walking testimony of so much trial and hardship, and I just hope to inspire other people that regardless of what life throws at you, when people say you can't do it or it's impossible, just keep going.”
As she prepares to start the next chapter of her college career at Xavier University of Louisiana, LeAundra carries with her not just the dream of continuing her basketball career, but the mission of using her experiences and her academic success to help others.