Stomps makes his recovery
Pneumonia benched Jason Stomps in the fall, but now his eyes are set on regaining All-American status and competing in the Olympic trials
Betsy Woodruff
Issue date: 2/5/09 Section: Sports
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"He didn't sound right, and I told him, 'You know, I could come down there,'" Cheryl said. "When he didn't fight that, I knew something was wrong."
Until November of last semester, Stomps had a remarkable career in the indoor weight and outdoor hammer throw. He was an All-American in the outdoor hammer in the '07 and '08 track and field seasons, as well as a captain. He finished fourth in the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Then he got sick.
He was feeling ill, and on Nov. 12, 2008, went to the hospital, where he learned he had pneumonia.
The hospital stay stretched for eight days, six of which were in the intensive care unit. They discovered he had sepsis, an infection of the blood.
"It was truly out of the blue," Stomps said of his sudden illness.
Cheryl drove down to be with him. She packed an overnight bag, but ended up staying all eight days.
"When I came to see him in Hillsdale and they started rushing him to the ICU, I felt like I was all alone, but I tell you what, the Hillsdale family sure came through," Cheryl said.
Head coach Bill Lundberg stayed with her for two and a half hours while she waited for her husband to arrive. More visitors from the track team slowly filtered into the hospital.
"By the time my husband got there, there were so many people in the room that it looked like we were having a party," she said.
Stomps' coaches, Jeff Forino and Lundberg, visited him every day while he was in the hospital.
Stomps was released from the hospital a few days before Thanksgiving break. He returned home for some well-earned rest, only to be re-hospitalized due to chest pains the day after Thanksgiving.
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