Coping with the loss of someone you care about is one of life’s most difficult challenges. The anguish can interfere with your health and make it difficult to sleep, eat, or even think clearly.

For Jamaica’s Sunshine Girl Adean Thomas, she had feared her playing ability had faded after her grandma passed away in February of this year. The loss had taken its toll on Thomas, who, at that point, had believed that continuing to play netball was impossible.

But with determination and faith in God, Thomas said she pulled through like a true fighter and earned a spot on the national squad for the 2023 Netball World Cup, which was held in Cape Town, South Africa, from July to August.

“You know, I lost the best part of me back in February when I lost my grandmother, Genice Thomas. I’ve been with her since I was younger and, losing her in February, it was just devastating. I never thought that I’d come back and be able to make this World Cup team,” the 29-year-old Thomas told the Jamaica Observer.

“I had sleepless nights a lot and I have made a lot of sacrifices. But, at the end of the day, I realised that God gave me a special gift, and I saw where I was able to make the team and I just went forward on that note and I got selected for World Cup.

“I was pretty happy with the selection. I was pleased because, you know, I trained hard, and so I was really happy with my performances and being selected to go to the World Cup. Just to go to the World Cup and be such an inspiration to others and to put out such a performance was top notch for me,” Thomas further stated.

The Sunshine Girls made history by defeating defending World Cup champions New Zealand twice on their way to bronze at the global showpiece. This ended a 16-year skid without a World Cup medal. Jamaica last won a medal at the Netball World Championships in 2007, when they grabbed bronze.

The versatile Thomas, who plays centre, wing attack, and wing defence for the Sunshine Girls, believes that the Sunshine Girls’ achievements can only serve as motivation to the next generation of netballers.

“It was good. I mean, it was better than the last Netball World Cup, where we came fifth. And just to get a medal at this World Cup was amazing. I mean, Jamaica has a not medal in 16 years and to just go down to South Africa, gave it all we got and to get our medal, means so much to us and not just us, but for the country as well.

“This is an inspiration to the younger ones coming up. It is, I mean, and now it’s almost their time to shine. And I think we’re leaving some very good footprints behind and some shoes to fill. I mean, they have to just come in, do what they need to do, remain focused, and just step up the game,” urged Thomas.

Thomas, who joined the Sunshine Girls in 2012, has two Commonwealth Games medals to her name — bronze in 2018 and silver last summer.

While now on a break, Thomas stated that her primary priority at the time is education.

“I am home at the moment and I’m focusing on school. This is my final year [at] GC Foster College of Physical Education and Sports doing my bachelors in teaching physical education and sports.

“So I’m just focusing on that right now. Netball is still there, I haven’t given up on it, but my main focus now is to just finish school,” she said.