Michael Cass This is Me

Education

 Web References

1. 1. 2003 Honorees

   www.ssjerie.org/Courage%20Bios - [Cached]

   Published on: 12/19/2004   Last Visited: 7/14/2006

   Michael Cass
   ...
   Three years ago, Michael Cass, just fourteen, suffered a stroke. Both before and since that day, Michael has been a compelling representation of the power of faith.
   
   In 2002, Mike was a ninth grade honor student at Cathedral Prep. There he was active in debate, and, as a competitor in the Slippery Rock University World Language competition, won two first place awards for excellence in German. An athlete as well as a scholar, Mike was a lineman on the freshman football team and a third place trophy winner in the Keystone Oaks Cross Country competition. Before leaving for school on May 16th, his mother's birthday, Mike reminded his mom that preparing dinner that evening would be his treat - following a strenuous school and practice schedule. On that beautiful sunny day of promise, however, after collapsing on the football field, Mike was rushed to the emergency room, his day and future forever changed.
   
   A Cloud of Fear
   
   At Gannon field, practice had begun routinely. The day was temperate - the team enthusiastic about spring conditioning. After warm-ups, Mike and his offensive teammates ran two laps around the field before taking a water break. Without warning, Mike collapsed, unable to maintain balance or to control his right arm and leg. He still recalls looking up at teammates and coach, unable to speak. Coach Mischler immediately dialed 911, fearing that Mike, with drooping mouth and paralysis in his right limbs, had suffered a stroke.
   
   At Hamot Medical Center, Mike underwent multiple tests to establish the exact cause of his collapse. Results confirmed Coach Mischler's fears: a blood clot on the left side of Mike's brain had caused a left-hemispheric stroke, impairing his right-sided physical and cognitive abilities. Mike's entire right side was paralyzed; his peripheral vision was gone; and, since the center for language formation is seated in the brain's left hemisphere, Mike also suffered speech limitations. After completing tests within three hours, physicians ordered Mike a Tissue Plasmogen Activator injection to break up the clot. Still, the period of interrupted blood flow had caused significant impairment.
   
   Challenge and Courage
   
   Mike celebrated his 15th birthday on May 21st, while still in intensive care. He was hospitalized for two months at Hamot Medical Center and then underwent intense speech, physical, and occupational therapies at Health South. Throughout recuperation from the stroke - which Mike regards as his 9/11 - his personal determination not only motivated his success, but also inspired other stroke victims, too. In June 2002, for example, just one month after collapsing on the practice field, Mike was asked to appear at Jerry Uht Park for "Strike Out for Stroke," a special Seawolves' event promoting public awareness and prevention of strokes. Mike, invited to throw the game's first pitch, was still confined to a wheelchair, so therapists from Health South accompanied him to the field. There, before amazed medical staff, family, friends, and fans, Mike managed to pull himself to a standing position to deliver the opening pitch!
   
   Throughout recovery, Mike encountered numerous challenges. In September 2002, because of cognitive limitations, he was unable to continue studies at Cathedral Prep. Instead, Mike enrolled at Harborcreek High School as a sophomore. There he attended morning classes and continued therapy in the afternoons at Health South. By that fall, Mike had regained some movement in his right arm and was able to walk. The stroke, though, continued to inhibit his ability to read, write, and speak well, a disorder known as Expressive Aphasia. Although Mike could compute, solve, and reason, the stroke hindered his verbal communication. A fine mathematician, but unable to speak problem solutions, Mike communicated by drawing numbers in the air or tracing digits on his leg. Mike adapted to a new school community and endeared himself to his peers - even joking about himself to quiet any uneasiness his new acquaintances might have about his disabilities. Always thoughtful of others, Mike quietly and purposefully sought to recapture fifteen years of experiences and education.
   
   Even though Mike had become a Harborcreek Husky, he never abandoned his love of Rambler orange and black. On a brisk October evening in 2002, Mike was honored to be on the field with his old teammates for the game's coin toss. That season he was appointed team manager for the Ramblers, responsible for videotaping practices and games from atop a cherry picker, raised forty feet above the field. Although Mike strained to climb aboard this device, he struggled with resolve. In both 2003 and 2004, Mike and his former teammates from Prep together participated in the American Heart Association Stroke Walk, an effort Mike plans to continue.
   
   Faith and Hope
   
   Since the stroke had eliminated Mike's peripheral right vision, he faced a monumental disappointment: both his local ophthalmologist and a specialist in Pittsburgh indicated that with such vision loss, Mike would never be able to drive. While Mike characteristically promised to conquer this problem, the medical community was pessimistic. A checkup in September 2003 confirmed specialists' earlier findings: Mike's right peripheral vision had not improved. Still, his recovery had surpassed physicians' expectations and family hopes, so when the Casses heard of a healing mass scheduled a month later at St. Mary the Assumption Church in Herman, PA, the family journeyed there, prayerful. Mike traveled, a believer.
   
   Following this mass, in conversations at home later that month, it became apparent that Mike had begun to see objects previously beyond his range of vision. A visit to an area ophthalmologist validated Mike's improvement: his peripheral vision had indeed returned, proven by comparative vision scans and exams. Dr. Villella termed the recovery "a miracle," and Mike, able to apply for a driver's license (which he has since obtained) agreed!
   
   In March 2004, Mike and his family enjoyed a trip to Hawaii from the Make-a-Wish foundation. While the trip celebrated his recuperation, it offered yet another opportunity for Mike to demonstrate his steadfast determination. While sightseeing, he joined his family in climbing to the top of Diamond Head, making the trip memorable for sun and scenery, but more significantly, for Mike's unwavering spirit.
   
   Mike has retrained both his body and his mind. At Harborcreek, a successful student, he was inducted into the National Honor Society as a junior. He looks forward to attending college after graduation in 2006, to major in meteorology or business. A busy young man, he works part-time at Duchini-Ace hardware and enjoys a full social life. While Mike has regained much of the use of his right hand and arm, he still undergoes therapy to improve movement and strength in his fingers. Aphasia still complicates Mike's learning, but his ability to read and write continually improves.
   
   Michael Cass began high school with a positive outlook and plans for a great future. Despite an unexpected tragedy, Mike has continued to face life with optimism. He cherishes each day. He anticipates the promise of the future. Though a student, Michael bears witness to one of life's most precious lessons, proving undeniably that "with faith, all things are possible."