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"I can honestly say I will be happy Tuesday morning when I get back to regular life.''
In a manner of speaking.
Clark's life will never be regular as most people know it.
He lives with a rare form of the sickle cell trait, an inherited disorder that caused his blood to "sickle'' two seasons ago due to the high altitude in Denver.
Despite receiving clearance from the Steelers medical staff, Clark didn't play against the Broncos last night.
In the two games that Clark has played in Denver — one with the Steelers, one with the Washington Redskins in 2005 — he totaled 12 tackles.
Two thumbs up to Coach Mike Tomlin for keeping Clark out of the lineup.
From a football standpoint, it's not like the Steelers haven't played well without a key defensive starter this season (see: Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith). Veteran Tyrone Carter is a more than an adequate backup at safety. And he showed it last night, returning an interception 48 yards for a touchdown for a 7-3 lead in the first half.
Carter, not as fast as Clark, was position deep in the secondary. Denver, known for its short passing game, didn't test Carter long early, as Clark watched anxiously from the sideline. Carter was in the right place, though, when he picked off Kyle Orton's pass and took it to the end zone.
From a peace of mind standpoint, the mere thought of Clark possibly enduring again what he went though two years ago — on Monday Night Football, in front of a national television audience, no less — was a frightening prospect.
Imagine the fan and media reaction across the country if Clark, for whatever reason, was forced to leave last night's game, if only to catch his breath. The backlash against the Steelers would be immeasurable for allowing him to play — medical clearance or no medical clearance.
Tomlin shed more light on Clark's situation when he said a pre-existing medical condition could be the reason why Clark became almost deathly ill following a game in Denver in 2007.
Missing the final 11 games that season (including one playoff game) was the tip of the iceberg for Clark, who lost his spleen and gall bladder in separate operations.
Forget about not ever playing football again.
Clark could have died after playing in a football game.
Some trade-off.
On second thought, why was there even any consideration about Clark playing last night?
If there was even a tinge of hesitation by Clark not to play, so be it.
Clark said his condition is rare for someone who doesn't have sickle cell disease, only the trait.
My brother-in-law has sickle cell disease, which is more deadly than the sickle cell trait. Doctors told him he'd be fortunate to live past his 20s. He turned 47 in September.
Dr. Rodney E. Hill, a physician in northeast Ohio, said it's very common for people with sickle cell disease to have their spleen and gall bladder removed.
"Clark has a variant of it that's a little bit more than the trait, but not sickle cell disease itself,'' Hill said. Read More HERE
Testing was at the top of the list.
"It’s just crazy to me that not all schools test,” said former Sooner linebacker Curtis Lofton, who discovered he had sickle cell only after being tested when he arrived at OU. "The test, it’s really not an expensive test to do on your athletes that bring in so much money to a school.”
The initial screening costs about $10 an athlete. If that test is positive, there is a $30 test to confirm the findings.
Research obtained by CBSSports.com earlier this year indicated that complications from the sickle cell trait have become the leading cause of death among NCAA football players this decade.
One of the biggest issues in dealing with players who have sickle cell is that a sickling episode may look like it’s heat-related, especially since intense and prolonged physical activity can cause them. Knowing that a player has the sickle cell trait is the best way to avoid a problem.
Selby found that sickle cell trait and exertion contributed to Smalls' cardiac arrest, though during an interview he downplayed the possibility sickle cell trait played a role in the July 8 death.
The inherited blood disorder is made more dangerous during strenuous exercise. The NCAA had recommended in June, shortly before Smalls' death, that all of its schools require sickle cell testing.
WCU started testing athletes for sickle cell trait after Smalls' death.
“I know that's kind of the hot topic, and that's what Sporting News and ESPN were, not directly saying, but kind of alluding to as a diagnosis,” Selby said. “From the stuff I have, I just can't substantiate anything like that.
“As far as I'm concerned, it's a cardiac-related death related to an enlarged heart,” he said.
An expert shown the autopsy report by the Citizen-Times said sickle cell could have contributed to Smalls' death.
Selby said Small's heart was slightly enlarged and that he had an irregular heartbeat with premature ventricular contractions during a fever five years ago.
The 20-year-old junior defensive back collapsed during a sprint workout after complaining of cramps.
Lisa Salberg, founder of the New Jersey-based Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association, said that's a warning sign of a condition that can cause sudden death. Read More HERE
The body of the ex-fiancé of "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Kandi Burruss is being exhumed for a second autopsy, CNN reports.
A.J. Jewell, who was featured on the second season of the hit Bravo reality show, was killed after an altercation at an Atlanta strip club in October and, soon after, a man named Frederick Richardson was then arrested for voluntary manslaughter.
A dispatch from the U.S. says the Sickle Cell Foundation for Liberia will feature as guest speaker a renowned medical doctor, Dr. Kwaku Ohene-Frempong, MD of Children Hospital in the US state of Philadelphia.
According to a release, the event will showcase some US-based Liberian musicians, including the famous Zay Tete and one of the Delaware Valley’s best DJs who will keep the audience on their toes all night, the organizers said. Read More HERE
We plan to address the years of national neglect, misinformation, failed approaches and lack of national attention to the issue of Sickle Cell Disease in America. We hope you enjoy blogging with us. We plan to talk about about all sorts of issues related to sickle cell trait, sickle cell disease and the challenges of the disease. We also want to be able to talk about the great things people are doing around the country to address sickle cell disease. There are a lot of great stories to be told, we hope you will enjoy this blog.
Feel free to comment on any blog post, and let your opinion and feelings be known.
The Blogmaster -American Sickle Cell Disease Foundation.
