B.C. soccer player recalls remarkable kindness at World Cup

Adam meets a woman playing soccer with her dog—and learns how her life was forever changed by the sport.

MILL BAY, B.C. — Long before she started kicking a soccer ball for her dog to chase, Darbi Vanboven’s mom would tell her younger self to play anywhere else but outside.

“She’d say, ‘Go outside and kick the soccer ball around,’” Darbi recalls with a smile. “I was a little bit rambunctious.”

That led to a lifelong love of the game, which led to playing the sport in university.

“You got to run around and be part of a team and all the endorphins and everything,” Darbi smiles. “It was amazing!”

Was. Because things turned far from amazing.

During one of those games, Darbi’s feet went numb. Then, a tingling feeling started spreading up her legs that didn’t stop until it reached the top of her head.

“I was completely paralyzed,” Darbi says. “I couldn’t move anything.”

On her 22nd birthday, Darbi was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

Darbi was trapped in her body and stuck in intensive care at the hospital for months — which meant her dream of attending the FIFIA Women’s World Cup final in Vancouver that year was dashed.

But then, two of her ICU nurses — Sarah and Libby — told her not to give up hope.

“They said, ‘Ok. This is FIFA. You’re going to go,’” Darbi says. “‘We’re going to make this happen.’”

And they did. Sarah and Libby helped raise thousands of dollars in cash and services so Darbi and her mom could travel from Vancouver Island to the mainland to see the game in person.

“It was just overwhelming,” Darbi fights back tears. “The generosity of people still brings me to tears.”

It was a remarkable act of kindness that inspired Darbi to feel hopeful, stay motivated, and, seven months later, walk out of the hospital on her own.

“It was really cool,” Darbi smiles before wiping away her happy tears.

Now — more than a decade later — Darbi is working as a physiotherapist, helping others rehabilitate their bodies and finally feeling grateful for the adversity she endured.

“Even though it was a terrible event,” Darbi says. “I wouldn’t give it up.”

Because Darbi says it taught her to be more compassionate and empathetic in both her life and her job helping others heal.

The experience has also inspired her to watch the current World Cup from a new perspective.

“It’s been really fun just seeing the community come together,” Darbi says.

Because rather than focusing on the successes or setbacks, Darbi has learned life’s greatest achievements are when — whether we win or lose — we never give up and keep moving forward together.

“To be kind regardless, is a really big gift that we can give each other.”