Tuesday DerMargosian doesn’t need your approval. She doesn’t care if you like her “loud” personality or her eternal optimism.
It’s not that the Texas outfielder doesn’t know she’s unique — her individuality is so prominent it goes right down to her name. But that’s exactly why your opinion doesn’t phase her. The origin of the name “Tuesday” gets to the heart of who she is. And once she realized that, her identity was changed forever.
It wasn’t until eighth grade that DerMargosian learned the significance of her name. She had been bullied in school, and one day she told her mother she’d had enough. Tuesday’s mother, Martina DerMargosian, sat her down and told her why her life is more than just what middle school bullies could tease her about.
During her pregnancy with Tuesday, Martina was told that her child would be born with spina bifida, a defect in the baby’s spinal cord. She was only expected to live a few days after birth. Martina had the option to have an abortion but chose to keep the child. But in order to remain unattached in the likelihood of complications, she decided to simply name her after the day of the week that she was born.
Tuesday, Dec. 9, 1997, Tuesday DerMargosian was born. There was no defect. There were no complications. Just a healthy child.
“That’s when I told her the story, that she’s a fighter,” Martina said. “She has a purpose. She’s going to make a name for herself.”
It was time for Tuesday to know why she could be different and be okay with it. Of course she wasn’t the same as all the kids she went to school with. With her story, how could she be?
From then on, the strength she lived with was changed. Martina said Tuesday was always resilient, that “when (she grows) up, (she wants) to be as strong as Tuesday.” But now, knowing what she had to get through just to be alive today, there’s nothing she can’t handle.
“I see myself now as stronger than I thought,” Tuesday said. “I’ve been able to get through so many things in my life, especially getting my name, and so it makes me who I am. It makes me a stronger person.”
Her name is no hindrance to her identity — instead, it fulfills it. The mother and daughter go hand in hand. They are quirky, uncommon and individualistic. In that conversation eight years ago, Martina made clear to Tuesday that her place in life is greater because of what she went through.
“My purpose is to just bring a positive energy,” Tuesday said. “Knowing that my mom was able to stay positive even through all of that, kind of reflects on me that if she can do that, I can stay positive through any typical day problem.”
This is on display at its clearest on the softball field. Now a junior, Tuesday’s self-described role on the team is as the “energizer bunny,” her voice a constant presence in the air around Red & Charline McCombs Field.
“She cherishes every day that she’s out here,” Texas head coach Mike White said. “She’s a kid that’s working hard right now. … You’ve got to have fun, (and) you can’t be worried about what’s going to happen. She does a great job of that.”
But for Tuesday, life will always be about more than softball, someone else’s opinion or anything of worldly value. Since that day in eighth grade, Tuesday knows that as close as she was to not being here at all, she has so much more to live for.
“After going through that experience and learning my whole name and why, it gave me more freedom to just be who I am and be crazy, be hyper and who cares,” Tuesday said. “I’m here, and I’m so thankful to be here, and now I just need to live life to the fullest.”
