Years after nearly drowning in pond, Zarihana Rennie hopes to take her team to state tournament
Zarihana Rennie is like a lot of high school athletes: she covets the thought of taking her team to the state basketball tournament in her senior season.
But at least in one way, Rennie is different. In November of 2013, her divorced father's girlfriend went off the road in St. Louis Park with then- 7-year-old Rennie and her sister, 6-year-old Zenavia Rennie in the car. Zenavia Rennie did not survive, and Zarihana Rennie was in the hospital for two weeks in critical condition.
"For like two weeks they told me that I was probably going to have to bury her with her sister," Zarihana Rennie's mother, Shaniece Thompson recalled. "So I kept on holding off planning a funeral so I wouldn't have to do a repeat with both girls."
That day, partially due to the shock of the incident, Thompson gave birth to another daughter: Dream.
"It was really hard. I had a hard time celebrating the birth of Dream with dealing with the grief of Zenavia, and not knowing," Thompson said. "Zarihana was hooked up to 50 operating machines."
But Zarihana Rennie woke up from a coma, beginning the start of a long and grueling process that included physical therapy.
"Once I learned how to speak again then, I was like 'okay I think everything's going to be alright,'" Zarihana Rennie said.
What was missing was her younger sister.
"She'd be similar to me," Rennie said. "Because we were so close. Could not separate us at all. Wherever I went, she followed right behind."
Zarihana Rennie now has lofty goals, and finds complete happiness when playing basketball. Victory in a way, is being on the court at all.
"She's proven that she will not give up. She's beat the odds. They literally told me that kid would never walk again," Thompson said.