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The support she received at Sandia Prep during one of the most challenging times of her life paved the way for Heidi Rottach Disbrow ’01 to conquer mountains -- both figurative and literal.

Disbrow was a sixth grader at Prep in 1994 when she started experiencing hearing loss, although it would be some time before it became apparent that something was wrong.

Her family already had plenty on their plate: Her father, Frank underwent a liver transplant that year. Just a year later, when Disbrow was in seventh grade, he passed away.

Prep provided financial aid that ensured Disbrow could continue her education there, she says.

That’s when the digging began to figure out what was causing Disbrow’s hearing loss. “We did MRIs, CTs, it was really scary,” she recalls. Eventually, she began wearing hearing aids for what turned out to be progressive hearing loss.

“Being a non-traditional student can be incredibly isolating. Prep figured out what my needs were, especially after my dad passed,” she explains. “I didn’t realize the teachers were accommodating me. That was before accommodations were a thing.”

Prep teachers enveloped Disbrow, encouraging her to delve into various sports and activities, and providing a quiet place for her to take exams. “Prep gave me a lot of opportunities to grow and develop my passion for learning,” she says.

Doctors warned Disbrow that her hearing would rapidly deteriorate. “The message I got was, ‘You are going to struggle,’” she says. Her Prep teachers, however, “gave me a sense of acceptance and importance.”

She excelled in her classes and threw herself into everything from choir to musical theater to Junior Civitan, swimming, the Outdoor Leadership Program, and managing the volleyball team. With encouragement from then-Athletics Director Pete MacFarlane, she got into track and cross country, eventually becoming part of the inaugural group of inductees in the Sundevil Hall of Fame.

Prep’s no-cut policy in sports was integral to her athletic success. “Having that option was huge for me,” she explains.

After graduating from Prep, Disbrow attended Whittier College in California on Presidential Scholarship. “They were not as accommodating, but I got a great education and experienced a lot of growth,” she says.

Disbrow worked for the federal government for a few years and eventually decided to pursue a nursing degree at the University of New Mexico.

In 2020, while hiking La Luz Trail in the Sandia Mountains during COVID-19, she took a tumble and lost a hearing aid. As she was trying to get it replaced, she was told that hearing loss was profound enough – she was losing her ability to understand language even with amplification – that she needed to begin the process of getting approved for cochlear implants.

Because of her hearing loss, Disbrow had to abandon the nursing program. With help from UNM, she returned to the nutrition program she had started in 2005 and completed her second bachelor’s degree.

In August 2022, Disbrow received a cochlear implant behind her right ear. The implant brought her hearing back to a normal range. She’s scheduled to receive one behind her left ear in August 2023.

Now, she’s about to launch into a PhD in Exercise Science with an emphasis on performance nutrition. She hopes to become a certified sport specialist dietician and work with mountaineering and high-altitude athletes.

“I became interested in outdoor sports thanks to the OLP and Prep’s Cross Country coach at the time,” Disbrow says. “We used to train up in the foothills a lot and even cross-trained with mountain biking.”

Her father was born and raised in the Alps, and they spent a lot of time skiing around New Mexico. “I have carried that passion along and finally get to apply it in my academic ventures.”

Disbrow maintains some connections from her Prep days. Her friend Sara Tracy ’01 is the godmother to Disbrow’s two children: 14-year-old Maisie, who also has hearing loss that’s corrected with hearing aids, and Frank, 15. Her blended family with her husband, Andrew, also includes Jameson, 13.

During a recent campus visit, Disbrow reconnected with MacFarlane and thanked him for getting her hooked on cross country running.

Disbrow advocates for others who struggle with “invisible disabilities” and encourages them to seek help and accommodations. She wants to demonstrate to her daughter that higher education is accessible for her and any other special needs students.

As she embarks on her latest adventure, Disbrow is ready to embody the John Muir quote: “The mountains are calling, and I must go.”