NATCHEZ — Savannah Anderson wiped the “war paint” off of her daughter Natalie Webb’s face as tears streamed down little Natalie’s cheeks. Natalie just finished her last all-star game in 2015, falling to Bossier City in the state championship game.

Natalie, who has overcome all challenges thrown at her in life, stood as the smallest member of the team, proud of attaining all-star status.

“It meant a lot,” Natalie said. “I love my team and my coaches, and we played really hard. I’m sad we lost. I can’t wait for next year.”

When Natalie was born she was diagnosed with laryngomalacia, forcing her to be whisked away from her mother after birth. Laryngomalacia is a congenital softening of the tissues of the larynx above the vocal cords. Her laryngeal structure was malformed and floppy, causing the tissues to fall over the airway opening, partially blocking it.

Natalie had a laryngoscopy done in her first weeks of life, causing her to sleep constantly before she was diagnosed “failure to thrive” at 3 months old. Natalie persevered, though, and today, she’s going into third grade at Concordia Parish Academy.

“She has always been a fighter, though.” Savannah said.

Because she struggled with her breathing, Savannah was told Natalie may never participate in athletics.

At age 5, Natalie faced another obstacle as she was diagnosed with chronic migraines. She was placed on medication for them, and to her mother’s relief, has gone from experiencing three-to-five headaches a week to three-to-five a month.

At age 8, Natalie is only 47 pounds and is in the eighth percentile for her weight and height. But that didn’t deter her from making the softball all-star team and becoming a major producer for the team, going 2-for-3 with two singles against Bossier City in the first game of a doubleheader in the coach pitch state tournament held in Vidalia.

Head coach Ryan Crum was delighted she took part in the team’s state tournament run.

“She’s the littlest thing I’ve ever coached, but she won’t give up on you,” Crum said. “She can lay down a bunt for you and get on base, and then she can knock it right down their throat. She just has a big ol’ heart.”

Despite being told that her daughter would be hospitalized with pneumonia before she was a year old, Savannah said to this date, Natlalie has never been hospitalized. Savannah said it speaks to her true fighting nature, making it far from a surprise that she was not only able to participate in athletics but earn a spot on the team’s all-stars squad.

“She has done everything the doctors said she wouldn’t do,” Savannah said.