A champion. What defines a "champion"? One definition is a person who has defeated all opponents in a competition or series of competitions, so as to hold first place. My series of opponents and series involved something similar to the Suns-Spurs series. It was physical, brutal, and a long long series... A person who fights for or defends any person or cause. In this case I am definitely defending myself. I am a true champion. My second chance at life is a gift I am grateful more than anything in the world. Let me tell you my story...

It was a mass of confusion, even for the nurses, doctors, I, and the specialists. What happened to me in this situation is like the chances of someone getting struck by lightning. Over the day of Saturday, I began to grow weak, muscles all over getting tired, fatigued, and the pain began to increase. I thought I was getting this because of a stressful set of basketball games on Friday night, but I was so very wrong. What was happening in my body was a fast-spreading deadly bacteria: E-Coli. Per 10 ccs of blood, in the tests that were taken from me, up to 50,000 counts were found… That means there were over 20 million bacteria floating in JUST my blood stream. They caught an infection in my bladder system, and a swollen not-functioning-well liver. I’d say near 50 million total. Had I waited a mere day more to go to the hospital-- it would have been fatal. Even going to the hospital as soon as I did, I fought hard through all the severe pain, fever “chills” (severe body shaking and spasms), and fevers as high as 102.5 degrees. At 103 degrees over a period of time, is hot enough to cause brain damage. Anything higher than 103 is deadly. 104 is the overheat point, and will put you on death row.

I had to fight to keep my body intact over the (almost) week I was hospitalized. On top of the issues with the E-Coli, doctors confirmed i was involved in what is called "Muscle Breakdown", and both the bacteria, fever, and breakdown lead to a series of days with SIRS, or Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, and if THAT wasn't enough, it partially caused a minor case of MODS (Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome) . I met all of the required symptoms: