Why North Rock Creek pitcher Caty Baack's nightly routine consists of taking 75 pills

CHOCTAW — Caty Baack opened her pill bottles to complete her nightly routine.

Laid out in front of her sat a mountain of vitamins, supplements and minerals.

Baack took a deep breath, grabbed a handful of about 10 pills from the group and swallowed them. She then took another handful. And then another. And then another, until all 75 of her medically required pills were down.

Every night Baack jumps into bed, she knows what she's doing is a bit taboo. Especially when she explains the process out loud. But for her, the high volume of pills isn’t hurting her. It’s exactly what she needs.

“It’s how I have some forms of protein,” Baack said.

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Baack has a medical condition called Phenylketonuria, commonly referred to as PKU. It is an inherited disease in which the body cannot metabolize an amino acid called phenylalanine.

Normally, phenylalanine is metabolized and converted into tyrosine, another amino acid, but if it stays as phenylalanine, there will be too much of it, and high levels of phenylalanine are harmful to the brain, according to childrenshospital.org

In simpler terms, it means she’s allergic to protein and all of the foods that contain it, such as meat, dairy and some grains. In Baack’s case, she’s lacking an enzyme in her liver, which doesn’t allow her body to absorb the protein found in most foods.

The disorder is difficult to manage for any teenager. But it’s even harder for someone who has a mother recovering from breast cancer.

But Baack has overcome it all.

She is the starting pitcher on North Rock Creek’s (31-2) slowpitch softball team and one of the best hitters the state has to offer in both fastpitch and slowpitch. This season, she’s tallied a .500 batting average, 18 home runs, eight doubles and 43 RBIs.

She’s signed to continue her career at Rose State College in the fall.

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“There are times during travel ball, I would have to go in between games and drink my medicine because that’s how I get my energy,” Baack said. “That’s how I get the protein that my body can break down.”

Leah Johnson, Baack’s mother added, “All the girls would tease her that it was her power milk when she was little.”

Baack drank formula until she was about 13 years old. But she’s always thought it didn’t have the most flattering taste. So, she switched to the pill form and has been taking on that challenge every night, knowing that if she didn’t take her medicine, her body wouldn’t be able to build muscle.

“The formula was so nasty,” Baack said. “I would rather take 75 pills a day than do that.”

Baack admits she's been curious about what she's missing out on and has even tried a small amount of meat before.

“I like chicken,” Baack said. “But everything else is kind of nasty to me. I like the nuggets from Chick-fil-A.”

Baack’s family first learned of her condition when she was six days old.

All newborns are screened for the condition along with a few others. It affects about 1 in every 15,000 newborns, according to childrenshospital.org. It’s a condition that doesn’t have a cure yet, but with a steady diet and treatment, it can be managed.

“She eats fruits and vegetables,” Johnson said. “They’ve got some treatments coming along when she is 18. It’s a shot. And with that shot, you still take the medicine for about a year or so and after that, they’re thinking you get to eat normal foods. It’s a very new treatment. ... And so, that’s what we’re hoping for.”

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The state of Oklahoma will provide the mountain of pills to Baack until she is 18 years old like it does for many others, Johnson said.

But when Baack turns 18, she’ll most likely have to pay for the treatment out of pocket. As of April, she said it costs about $18,000 a month for the first 60 pills and $1,500 a month for the other medicine Baack needs.

Johnson and Baack said she’ll need to be on a good health insurance plan.

“I am always on her about taking her medicine every day,” Johnson said. “When she goes on away trips we have to make sure she has food. When they stop and eat, she can’t have burgers or chicken. She has to supplement that and make it work.”

Through all of the difficulties in their life, Baack’s condition and Johnson’s cancer, they’ve always had softball to fall back on. It’s been their comfort.

And their hope is that it won’t change any time soon. Every night, Baack will down her pills, and during games, she’ll run out to the circle with her mother watching from the stands.

“We started when she was 3 years old,” Johnson said. “I don’t play softball, I can’t even play catch with my daughter. I’m a single mom and just started to take her to a league and she just caught on and loved it. We play travel ball and it’s been a lifestyle. It’s been a life-building experience for the both of us.”

James D. Jackson covers high school sports across the Oklahoma City metro and state. Have a story idea for James? He can be reached at jjackson@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @JamesDJackson15. Support James' work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: North Rock Creek softball player Caty Baack battles Phenylketonuria