Starting in January 2007, Lucik, a senior midfielder on the field hockey team, was having pain in her side in addition to consistent cases of strep throat.

The pain continued until a night when it became unbearable. Teammate Allison Kist rushed Lucik to the emergency room.

"It was really scary at first because she had to get all these tests done and she was just like laying there," Kist said. "I didn't know what was going on with my best friend or how serious this was."

Emergency room doctors initially misdiagnosed Lucik with appendicitis because of the location of the pain.

"The pain started to travel upward," Lucik said. "They diagnosed me with gastritis, which is like a stomach ulcer, while I was at the hospital so they gave me medication for that."

Lucik said that nothing that the doctors gave her seemed to work. She still was having reoccurring cases of strep throat.

In March, Lucik was sent to have an abdominal CT Scan done near her home in Emmaus, Pa., outside of Philadelphia. It was there that she found out she had an enlarged liver, which was later attributed to mononucleosis.

"I got the phone call at the airport in Detroit and I was in Florida the next day," Lucik said. "I wasn't anywhere near these doctors and that kind of pushed me to tears right away."

Upon returning to Pennsylvania, Lucik met with specialists and also was diagnosed with the lung capacity of an 8-year-old.

"They also told me that I had asthma, which I have never had before," she said.

The asthma did not allow her take in enough oxygen, which enlarged her heart and caused it to begin to fail because of a lack of oxygen.

Lucik immediately was held out of team activity and was required to stay at home to monitor her condition. She didn't like the idea of leaving her team and losing her entire season.

"It was just so upsetting," she said. "Essentially I lost that season. That is what really broke me down."

Lucik said that one of the toughest parts, however, was being away from her teammates.

"I would call them and talk to them, but it felt like I wasn't as much a part of the team that I was, even though they told me differently," she said. "It was just hard on me."

In addition, Lucik was left to face the thought of her life without field hockey.

"I honestly didn't think I was ever going to play again," she said. "As soon as you get that diagnosis, there is a part of me that thinks that I don't want to chance my life. I mean this is my heart - it is a serious organ."

Coach Cristy Freese missed Lucik on the field last season, but she is just thankful that Lucik is alive today.

"It was just a really rare situation," she said. "I felt very fortunate that she was able to get through that very tough time and really get healthy and it is great to have her back this season."

The effects of Lucik's diagnosis still linger this season. Lucik has played in 15 games, tallying five goals and three assists, which rank her second on the team in points with 13. She learned to adapt, to recognize her body's signals and to adjust her life around her asthma.

Lucik now uses an inhaler before each game, takes three allergy shots per week and takes two medications and another inhaler every day.

This experience helped put life into perspective for Lucik. She is thankful for what she has accomplished.

"It was just a terrible experience and I wouldn't wish it on anyone," Lucik said. "Being a Division I athlete is something that not a lot of people are able to do, and I lost part of that by losing last season."

sports@cm-life.com

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