Carson Venis has battled against competition as a player on the lacrosse field, but has also battled something much more significant off the field.

Venis has Kawasaki disease, a condition in which one of the arteries in his heart is too small. Luckily, Venis and his family doctor detected the problem early. Had they not discovered the problem with his heart, Venis might have never played any sport ever again.

Now, however, Venis’s lacrosse career is in full swing. No longer is Venis’s focus on medical operations, rather he has moved onto operation lacrosse.  It all started his freshman year, when he was determined to prove himself and earn a spot on varsity. Initially, he was placed on JV, but then finally achieved his goal.

“I worked my way up to varsity and haven’t looked back, despite my heart condition,” Venis said. “It showed me a lot about myself, and that I have a lot of strength both mentally and physically.”

Carson hasn’t relented, playing all of his high school career at the varsity level. Venis plans to continue his lacrosse career at the Division III level at Misericordia University. Venis was weighing D1 offers, but opted to attend Misericordia for the opportunity to start as early as his freshman year.

“While I had several Division I and Division II offers, I chose Misericordia because the coach is a cool guy and he offered me a starting spot to play my freshman year,” Venis said. “The academic programs at Misericordia suit me better too.”

Venis plans on majoring in sports management and minoring in political science. He dreams of being a General Manager for an NFL team one day.

“I’m really excited for this new chapter and the new people I will meet along the way,” Venis said.