aksheephuntress Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 The Comeback Kid Wolverines goalie is playing again after suffering swelling of the brain By KEVIN KLOTT [email protected] Published: February 7th, 2009 10:54 PM Last Modified: February 8th, 2009 12:17 AM Josh Benton was ready for his junior season of high school hockey. He had just returned from a tournament in Detroit, where he was at the top of his game, attracting offers from junior league teams and boosting his chances of winning a college scholarship. Story tools Comments (3) Recommend (0) E-mail a friend Print Share on Facebook Digg this Seed Newsvine Send link via AIM Yahoo! Buzz Font size : A | A | A He was ready to get back in goal for the four-time defending state champion South Wolverines. He was ready to reaffirm his reputation as one of the state's best goaltenders. Then everything -- his plans to help South five-peat, his hopes to tend goal in college like his dad once did -- crumbled. Bickerstaff's encephalitis, a swelling of the brain that puts pressure on the brain stem and cerebrum and shuts down vital functions, attackedBenton and threatened to end his life. In a matter of days, Benton went from a puck-blocking machine to needing a machine to stay alive. For an entire month, he was unable to communicate -- couldn't talk, couldn't nod, couldn't squeeze a hand. Today, nearly five months after doctors diagnosed Benton with the rare disease, he has defied the odds, returning for the Wolverines -- just in time for the regular-season finale. ADVERTISEMENT "It's a miracle," South coach Mike Ashley said. Benton, 16, researched viral encephalitis and discovered the odds of contracting it was 1 in 50,000. His mom, Karen, believes the odds of getting Bickerstaff's encephalitis, a particularly rare form of the disease, is even greater. Either way, the odds of him playing hockey this season, maybe even any season, seemed insurmountable. Call Benton's recovery the greatest save of his life. "They all know me now as the miracle child," he said. 'I COULDN'T WALK' It was the end of September and Benton was glowing from the way he played in Detroit. "It was the best tournament I've ever played," he said. "The best I've ever been." But Benton came home to Alaska sick with the flu -- at least that's what he and his parents first thought. On the third day he was sick, Benton developed a fever. Though his memory of that day is fuzzy, he remembers lying down on the stairs on his way to the bathroom, too weak to go any farther. Maggie, the family's golden retriever, found him asleep. She scratched the carpet. The noise was so loud it woke his parents. "They came down, woke me up and tried to get me to walk," Josh said. "I couldn't walk." Josh couldn't think straight when his mom asked simple questions. He recalls a conversation that went something like this: "Who's this?" Karen asked, pointing to her husband. "Mom," answered Josh. "Who's this?" she asked, pointing to herself. "Maggie," answered Josh. "Okay," said Ron. "We're out of here." The last thing Josh remembers is riding in the family car, disoriented. "Why are we going to Fairbanks?" he asked. "We're not going to Fairbanks," his mom replied. Ron and Karen were taking him to Providence Alaska Medical Center, where Josh stayed for the next six weeks. 'HE'S PRETTY TOUGH' Josh's stay at Providence started in pediatrics, but he was quickly transferred to the intensive care unit when his condition didn't improve. Doctors tossed around almost every possible scenario. Was it the flu? Spinal meningitis? A brain tumor? "That's when it started getting scary," Ron said, whose son spent two weeks in ICU while doctors ran hundreds of tests and sent blood samples to the Lower 48 in search of answers. "All they could tell us is what it wasn't." On the 12th day, a brain scan determined Josh had Bickerstaff's encephalitis. The swelling of his brain had put his vital functions -- respiration, heartbeat and body temperature -- in flux. Josh was close to being intubated -- the placement of a tube to protect his airway. But he never did, and that was a huge plus for the prognosis, his dad said. "He's pretty tough," Ron said. Josh got his toughness from hockey, a sport that has always been his son-to-father connection. Ron was a second-team All-America goaltender for UAA back in the early 1980s and grew up playing for Service High. He never forced Josh into playing between the pipes, but Josh naturally gravitated there. Defending the net was in his blood. When word of his illness spread, the hockey community rallied with a spaghetti feed, an auction and an online forum that filled with messages and prayers of encouragement. "You never have time to thank everyone," Karen said. Doctors warned the family Josh's recovery would be a marathon. He received nutrients from a feeding tube in his nose. Gradually he became communicative, first by blinking in response to simple questions -- one blink for yes, two for no -- then by whispering a few words at a time. One night, he pulled out his feeding tube, a violent and potentially dangerous act. "He got his hand to his face," Ron said. "There was a battle going on. "He waited for everyone to go to sleep and in the middle of the night he got hold of the tube and pulled it out by himself." Doctors decided not to put it back in right away, Ron said. They gave him an ultimatum. Start taking food orally within two days, or the tube goes back in. That's when Josh started to improve. 'STARTING OVER' With no signs of brain damage, Josh began physical and speech therapy after his fourth week at Providence.Signs of recovery came quickly. He advanced from wheelchair to walker to cane in a matter of days. Still, he was underweight. He weighed 165 pounds when he was admitted to the hospital and 120 pounds when he left on Nov.7. Josh didn't wait to gain back the weight before returning to the rink. "He never felt sorry for himself," Karen said. On Nov. 19, the day team pictures were taken, Josh made a surprise appearance at a South practice. Before Christmas, he was back on the ice, doing goaltending drills with his dad. In mid-January, he suited up for some junior varsity games, and in late January, he played with the varsity squad against Service in the regular-season finale. "It's pretty incredible," South goalie Thomas Davis said. "He worked hard to get back." "He went from being the top dog -- the best goalie in the state -- to having everything pulled out from under his feet," Ron said. "He's starting all over again." 'A GOALIE THING' Josh's recovery was so remarkable, he inspired his dad --a cancer survivor -- to lace up the skates. After taking a few months off to recover from doses of chemotherapy and surgery, Ron is playing adult league hockey again. "I wasn't going to play this year," he said. "But after what happened to Josh, I might as well get back to the ice." Like his son, Ron, 46, knows a thing or two about dodging death. Doctors gave him less than two years to live when he was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer, plus cancer to the liver and lungs, eight years ago. "It must be a goalie thing, I guess," Ron said about deflecting life's challenges. "It teaches you never to quit." Though Josh inspired his dad to get back on the ice, Ron inspired Josh first. "People say I'm so tough," Josh said. "No, I'm not. Look at my dad and where he's come. He's walking and alive. "It's amazing. He's an inspiration to me." In Josh's varsity debut on Jan. 29, a 4-2loss to Service, he was trying to win a spot on South's postseason roster -- a difficult task, because during his absence, two other goaltenders established themselves as top netminders. So at this week's state championships, Josh will be a spectator, not a star. Playing junior hockey may have to wait too, until teams are assured he's back to full health. None of this makes Josh happy, but there is some sweet to go along with the bitter. "At least I can skate," he said. Find Kevin Klott online at adn.com/contact/kklott or call 257-4335. http://www.adn.com/slideshows/v-swf/story/682968.html http://www.adn.com/sports/prep/hockey/story/683416.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PotashRLS Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Wow............great story We should all count our blessings:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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