There’s nothing like having special friends and former teammates to surround you with love and support in your deepest time of need.

So when 29-year-old Allie Glover shared the news to her past UCLA women’s tennis team that she been diagnosed with the rare disease Late Onset Tay-Sachs in January of 2022, the Point Loma resident said she was overwhelmed by the reaction of her Bruin family.

“It was really hard telling them and I kind of called them individually,” said Glover, who played at UCLA from 2014-17. “I talk to them a lot so they kind of knew it something wasn’t right with my health. But they were all very supportive and asked me how they could help. It’s nice knowing you have the support behind the scenes.”

Teammates like Robin Anderson, Dominika Waligorska, Catherine Harrison, Kyle McPhillips, Kaitlin Ray, Dylan Kirsch, Chanelle Van Nguyen, Jen Brady – as well as coaches Stella Sampras-Webster and Rance Brown – and others rallied around Glover and are not shy about checking in with her on the phone and in-person visits. The 2014 team was loaded with talent and brought back a national title to Westwood.

“They’ve all been amazing,” said Glover, who grew up in Newport Beach. “The team is so tight knit. I know I can reach out to them at any point. They don’t treat me any different. It’s just like it was when I was in college.”

At the upcoming Women & Girls Who Ace Summit Aug. 3-5 in San Diego, Glover will share her inspiring story of her ongoing fight with her disease and how she is dealing with the transition from an able-body, healthy Division I athlete to someone facing a future dealing with such a dreaded neurological disease. 

Glover will take part in two panels during the annual event. The first is: High School Girls Empowerment Workshop – Grow with the Flow and the second panel is Allyship: A Gold Medal Approach – Breaking Barriers – Where Do We Go From Here.

For more information and to register to attend, click here: https://www.ustasocal.com/womenwhoace/

Dealing with a rare disorder like Late Onset Tay-Sachs disease has been a huge life-changing event for Glover. “My mom and dad are carriers and I never suspected they each had the recessive gene,” Glover said.

“Children with the juvenile onset pass away before or shortly after entering their teens,” Glover said. “So, I guess I’m lucky that at my age, I am still alive. But the disease’s progression will continue. And I must ponder a future where swallowing may prove difficult; my mobility will be limited, and I will need a wheelchair.”

Glover said she realized something was wrong when she started falling randomly. “I couldn’t even get up from a chair and I couldn’t do a squat anymore,” she said. “But I just thought this is not normal deterioration and just knew something was wrong.”

Glover was a song leader while attending Mater Dei High School and once performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City. She currently lives literally a stone’s throw from the Barnes Tennis Center and has been participating in wheelchair tennis clinics. It’s been tough re-learning the sport but has allowed her to stay active.

“It’s been so mentally helpful for me,” said Glover, who works as an independent financial adviser for Northwestern Mutual. “It’s been a challenge for me to learn as I’ve always played standing so it’s a whole adjustment with standing versus sitting. You can’t jump serve or do a split step.

Southern California Tennis Foundation Executive Director Linda Milan met Glover at Barnes and offered the use of a permanent wheelchair until Glove’s customized chair arrives in a few months. She plans to play some tournaments in the fall.

“I think Allie can be a shining light and a great example to other young wheelchair tennis players who are just starting out and may be learning the game for the first time,” Milan said. “Allie is a true inspiration to our Southern California community, in tennis and in her chosen career. We wish her only the best as she continues to fight her disease.”

Glover said she dealt with some depression after the diagnosis and has sought help for it. “I’m very open about that because it’s OK to ask for help there,” she said. “I want to be open about my mental health.”

She continued: “I was very unhealthfully independent for a really long time. Just to be in a position where I have to ask for help was really hard. It was really devastating. 

Being wheelchair bound and having to deal with the possibility of not having the ability to speak and about possibly not being a mother someday. It’s a lot to think about on a daily basis. I have to think about things that are so involuntary like walking down the street when I have to make sure I don’t trip because I will fall. I have to think about every single step I take and it just takes a lot of mental energy.

“There are just a lot of unknowns. You don’t really think about how much mental space that stuff takes up and it drains your energy.”

Glover said she takes a cane with her wherever she goes. “It’s going from being in peak, peak physical shape and having trust in yourself and your body to going to so much mistrust in your body. It’s a very strange place. You can visualize all the things you can do but your body just can’t. It’s like your mind is not disabled but your body is, so you’re kind of trapped in this 80-year-old body but your mind still wants to do everything you used to do. It’s just your body won’t follow.”

Glover hopes that by participating in events like the upcoming Women & Girls Who Ace Summit she can tell her story and be an inspiration to others facing a similar disease.

“Obviously, it’s not ideal having this disability,” Glover said. “But if I can do something good with it I’m going to lean into that and do it.”