Slater Draws Inspiration From His ‘Shining Star’

For Ted Slater, an all-league senior volleyball setter at Newport Harbor, every moment he spends with his 16-year-old sister, Hannah, is cherished.

When it comes to choosing whether to watch a Laker game on TV with Hannah or go to a movie with friends, Hannah wins. Even Slater’s friends want to be at her side.

“She puts a smile on everyone’s face,” he said. “When we’re worrying about our girlfriends, sports, school, homework, she puts in perspective what the world’s about.”

Hannah was diagnosed with a rare brain disease when she was 9 months old. She suffered from multiple seizures. A portion from the right side of her brain was removed during surgery when she was 2. The disease spread to the left side. Drugs eventually stopped the seizures but the damage was done.

“They said she’d never talk or walk,” her father, Ed, said. “The older she gets, the more she sees, the more she talks.”

Most teenage boys want separation from their younger siblings during their senior year of high school. It’s a time for hanging out with friends, going to parties and plotting the great escape to college or the workforce.

However, Slater has been more than a loyal brother. He is a protector and caretaker. His father remembers him as a 2-year-old staring suspiciously at anyone who came to the house as if they needed his approval to see Hannah.

“We didn’t want Ted to be a father at age 2,” Ed said. “It was a big effort to make sure he had a normal life.”

The 6-foot-4 Slater started for the basketball team and has been a three-year standout in volleyball, earning a scholarship to Pacific. Spectators watching his intensity and leadership on the court would never know where his passion comes from if they didn’t know about Hannah.

“He’s spoiled us rotten,” Ed said. “It’s great he’s our son because I was never the son he is.”

Slater loves receiving hugs from Hannah. He smiles watching her ride a three-wheel bike. He helps coach her on a soccer team every fall with other kids who have disabilities. Friends come to his house and experience something they’d never learn sitting in class or walking around campus.

“She’s a blessing for our family,” he said. “She teaches me about responsibility and character. She’s our shining star. All our neighbors know her by name. They may be having a bad day, but they stop and talk to her.

“My friends love her. They come over for lunch. Sometimes my friends stay longer and when I have to leave and do something, they hang out with Hannah.”

It’s never an easy situation when a family member needs help. Others are busy with their own lives and questions are raised about who’s going to sacrifice time and effort.

Slater insists helping his sister, who is a special-needs student at Costa Mesa Estancia, is something he has always wanted to do.

“It’s not a burden at all,” he said. “It’s a sacrifice, for sure, but there’s a difference between sacrifice and burden. I take that time to hang out with her.”

Certain skills in volleyball don’t come easily for Slater, but his work ethic and the influence of Hannah keep him striving to be better. He has been an important figure for Newport Harbor, ranked No. 2 in the Southern Section Division I coaches’ poll. He sees what Hannah has gone through and understands that nothing is as difficult as what she must overcome.

His parents couldn’t be prouder of the way he has chosen to live his life, excelling in athletics and academics while setting an example of how to deal with people.

“A lot of people can say, ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover,’ ” Slater said. “But I really do that. I step back every time when someone says something.”

The real challenge facing Slater isn’t going off to Pacific to play volleyball in the fall. It will be saying goodbye to Hannah. His older sister, Jessica, left last year for college, and Slater must find a way to tell Hannah, who has the mental capabilities of a preschooler, he won’t be around as much.

“She’ll have a tough time, but I believe she would want what’s best for myself and our older sister,” he said. “We’ll come home as much as we can. I’m cherishing every day I have with her.”

And the students at Newport Harbor should cherish every day Slater is on campus, because he’s a teenager whose loyalty and commitment to his sister speaks volumes about his character.

Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.