Payton McNabb, a former high school girls volleyball player who was left with serious brain damage after being hit in the face by a transgender opponent, has been left stunned by an offer from President Donald Trump.
McNabb was 17 when a ball spiked by a trans opponent with force struck her in the face, threw her to the ground and left her unconscious while she played a volleyball match in September 2022.
McNabb was left with brain damage and paralysis on her right side, which ended her dreams of getting a volleyball college scholarship and has made it difficult to walk without falling.
Now 19, she has campaigned over the past few years to prevent trans athletes from competing in women’s sports and was even one of the President’s guests when he signed the ‘No Men in Women’s Sports’ executive order at the White House last month.
And this week, the Commander-in-Chief extended another invitation to the teenager with McNabb set to be one his guests at his joint address to Congress on Tuesday night.
‘It’s just such an incredible honor, and I’m so thankful, and I can’t believe I’m getting invited,’ she told Fox News about the offer.
Payton McNabb, a former high school girls volleyball player, was left with serious brain damage after being hit in the face by a transgender opponent in September 2022
President Donald Trump has invited McNabb to his joint address to Congress on Tuesday night
McNabb, along with conservative activist Riley Gaines, attended the White House last month when Trump signed the ‘No Men in Women’s Sports’ executive order
‘I know that President Trump really supports what we’ve been fighting for and what I’ve been advocating for for over two years now. And he’s really big on getting men out of women’s sports and out of their spaces.
‘So, I think this is just his way of letting us know that he sees us and he’s with us, and I’m just so thankful for that.’
McNabb was a junior at Hiwassee Dam High School in Murphy, North Carolina when she was struck in the face by a ball traveling at 70mph while in a match.
The ball had been hit by a transgender player on the opposing team and McNabb was knocked unconscious for 30 seconds on the floor with her arms locked upright in a ‘fencing’ position.
Doctors diagnosed her with a traumatic brain injury, concussion, paralysis on her right side, whiplash and vision problems.
McNabb said she didn’t expect Trump to talk about her own specific experience during his address but confessed that it would be ‘insane’ if he did.
‘I know that he’s addressing a lot of important things,’ she said. ‘So, I’m not going to assume anything. But if he does, then I’m going to be so thankful and just really, really happy.’
Image shows the moment McNabb was struck in 2022 and left unconscious during the volleyball match that changed her life
In April of 2023, Payton decided to testify at the North Carolina General Assembly in favor of the Fairness in Women’s Sports Bill
Now a communications student at Western Carolina University, McNabb told the Daily Mail last year that she continues to struggle to move the right side of her body — leading her to regularly lose her balance and suffer from falls.
Her mental acuity is also damaged, with McNabb requiring hours of extra tutoring every month and extra time during tests because of the damage.
And she has struggled with much worse vision, anxiety and depression as she fights to recover from her injuries.
The student — who played volleyball, softball and basketball — has also had her sporting career cut short right at the beginning, saying she can no longer play in the way that she knows she used to.
