CT Sun star shines despite ailment

(WTNH) -- A potentially life threatening kidney ailment is not keeping a player on the Connecticut Sun basketball team off the court.

Dawn Evans has to take a pharmacy worth of medications daily and one day might need a transplant, but she's still going strong and trying to help others along the way.

Evans has dreams. One of which is to play professional basketball. Another is acting.

"I'm a girlie girl first," Evans said. "I love to get dressed up, do make up, do hair, that's just me."

Upbeat and personable, Evans is auditioning for a role on the CT Sun.

Of course, the rookie has some jitters. There are times she can't make it through a full practice, but nerves have nothing to do with it.

"That's something that's kind of hard to deal with sometimes," Evans said. "I have to leave practice and go to the restroom."

Evans suffers from a kidney disorder; one that also ails former NBA star Alonzo Mourning.

"The short name is FSGS standing for it causes kidneys to scare, not able to filter things out of my body as fast as it should without medicine," Evans said.

Everyday Evans takes 12 to 13 medications. Some in the morning and some at night. She says it's a delicate balance.

"Kidney disease causes high blood pressure, so I'm on blood pressure medication to keep it down," said Evans, "but when you play sports your blood pressure automatically goes down, so I have to make sure I take the right amount of medicine to be sure I'm safe."

After a couple years of juggling medication, proper diet and plenty of fatigue, Evans is able to play at a high level again.

Sun Head Coach Mike Thibault has kept tabs on the lightning fast guard.

"Everyone last year during her draft year got scared off and she went undrafted," said Thibault. "She's going to make it in this league someday, she's going to make camp interesting."

Evans feels great playing and doing what she loves.

Mourning has been her biggest supporter and together they help the NephCure Foundation encourage others.

"5,000 kids are diagnosed each year so I want to be an advocate for them to say that they can grow up with this disease and do whatever it is their heart desires," Evans said.