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Mike Miazga |
Nate Ocasio was on top of the world this past spring. Ocasio helped
Division III Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa. win the Molten Division III
Invitational Volleyball Championship for a second straight year. Ocasio was
named the tournament MVP.
But there's that old adage that says you can be on top of the world one
minute and… Ocasio knows that feeling all too well. At the end of
July, Ocasio fell ill in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Originally, it was thought he had
contracted Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Lyme disease and Legionnaire's
disease were also suspected.
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Nate Ocasio was named the MVP of the 2005 Molten Division III Invitational Volleyball Championship. |
Ocasio's fever spiked as high as 106.4 degrees. He would shake violently
and have hallucinations. He contracted pneumonia and suffered a collapsed
lung. At one point, his heart was functioning at 20 percent capacity.
Eventually, Ocasio, a York, Pa. resident, was diagnosed with Adult-onset
Still's disease (AOSD). The rare disease usually strikes kids between the
ages of 3-4 and is much less common in adults. Still's disease is a form of
arthritis that is characterized by high-spiking fevers and evanescent
(transient) salmon-colored rash. The cause of Still's is still unknown.
"It was definitely a wake-up call for me, my teammates and my friends,"
said Ocasio. "People have to realize everybody is human. People don't think
that stuff like this can happen to them. It can happen to everybody. It
doesn't matter if you are healthy or athletic. I almost died a couple of
times. I'm glad that I am walking. It could have been much worse. I could
have had brain damage."
Ocasio also became addicted to morphine in the hospital.
"I was talking to the doctor and he said you can get addicted so bad that
you go down to the city to get more of it," said Ocasio. "I told him you
don't have to worry about that."
Ocasio is slowly recovering from the disease. He lost 45 pounds, going
from 235 down to 190. In late August, he started walking regularly around the
block. Doctor's told Ocasio and his family that one-third of patients with
this disease go into remission, one-third have the disease chronically and
one-third have occasional outbreaks.
"This is such a rare disease," said Deb Bailey, Ocasio's mother. "Here is
a young man on top of the world one month and then his life is changed. I
want to educate people about it even if it saves one person's life." Ocasio's
long term goal is to get back on to the court at Juniata.
"The school's been really great about this," said Ocasio. "All my focus is
getting back out on the court. The doctor said that there was a 25 percent
chance I could play in the spring. But he wants me to take my time. He said
that was the fourth step and I'm on the first step right now."
And here's hoping Ocasio continues to make giant steps forward.
Mike Miazga
Editor in Chief
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