| Getting a kick out of life |
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| Sports - Louisburg | |||
| Written by Andy Brown | |||
| Wednesday, 25 November 2009 08:00 | |||
Kevin Sitek is just like every other student at Louisburg High School.  He has his moments where he goofs off a little too much, but that trademark smile usually gets him out of whatever mischief he has gotten himself into. Kevin loves his math and someday hopes to become an engineer. He likes playing in the band and has played the cornet since fifth-grade. He also loves sports, especially soccer. It is soccer where Kevin feels the most comfortable. When Kevin is on the soccer field, he uses his legs just like anyone else and his passion to want to do well rivals anyone on his team. It is also a chance for him to get away. Get away from the normal everyday grind of a school day, and for Kevin, it is a chance to get away from the uphill battle that is life. A battle for life Rich and Lori Sitek were nervous just like any other first-time parents. They weren’t sure exactly what to expect, and the questions were piling up faster than they could get answers for. The day Kevin was born, those questions started coming at an alarming rate. Kevin was born with TAR syndrome, which is a rare genetic disorder that affects less than 1 in 100,000 and is characterized by the absence of the radius bone in the forearm, and a dramatically reduced platelet count. It was the platelet count that left Kevin battling for his life. The low platelet count left Kevin at risk for bleeding, bruising and hemorrhaging. Most newborns with the syndrome who make it past the first six months, go on to live a normal life with very few health issues. “It was touch and go for about the first six months,” Lori said. “We were all definitely worried and he spent most of that time at Children’s Mercy Hospital. It was hard for all of us.” Kevin won his battle in those six months and the Sitek’s were finally able to bring their son home for the first time. Once they got home, however, they realized their lives wouldn’t be the same. “We didn’t know anything about it until he was born,” Rich said. “It was just one of those things we accepted and we knew what we had to do. We consulted with doctors and went from there. We knew there would be challenges.” His parents were preparing themselves for the worst. They were looking into buying custom-made clothing and they were doing their best to figure out how to make Kevin’s life as normal as possible. As it turned out, Kevin figured that out all on his own. Adapting If he had a disorder which would impair him for the rest of his life, someone forgot to tell Kevin. With TAR syndrome, Kevin’s arms would never be at the normal length of everyone else, which one would think he would need to live a regular life. But Kevin lives as normal of a life as anyone else. When he was smaller, Kevin figured out how to do the everyday things such as eat, get dressed and even write while at school. He just had to learn a different way. “He just adapted so well,” Rich said. “Even when he was young he let us know that he wanted to do it himself and wanted us to stay out of the way. He has always had the will to adapt very well.” So for Rich and Lori, who at first expected a rough life for Kevin, quickly realized the process was going to be a little smoother than they thought. “I think in the beginning we were pleasantly surprised, but anymore, you just forget that there was anything there,” Rich said. “He adapts so well and we take it for granted some times.” Even with all the progress he was making, there was still its fair share of problems, which included teasing from other children or the whispers behind his back. But just like anything else, Kevin had no problem adapting to his surroundings. “I just joke around with people when that happens and just shrug it off,” Kevin said of teasing. “I just live to fight another day.” Kevin and his family moved from their previous home in Prairie Village to Louisburg when he was in the sixth-grade, but a year earlier he was interested in playing in the band. A previous band instructor set Kevin up with the cornet, a instrument related to the trumpet. The cornet allows Kevin to reach the keys, in which a trumpet would be too long, plus he only has to play with two fingers. Kevin was already set up when he met Louisburg band instructor, John Cisetti. Now a senior in high school, Cisetti has seen Kevin come a long way. “Amazingly, he makes it work and is now a leader in his section,” Cisetti said. “I would like to take credit for this, but I can’t. Kevin came to me already started on cornet and he has figured out how to make it all work. The only thing we did was give him the opportunity. Kevin gets it done. “Kevin does such a great job that, day-to-day, we don’t even think about the fact that he is doing what everyone else does but with a different set of tools. Putting on the band uniform is a big task for Kevin, but he does it on his own, even the gloves.” When they moved to Louisburg, his parents were overwhelmed by the support given by the schools. “The school, whether it be in band or sports, they have just been so great with Kevin,” Lori said. “Mr. Cisetti has been very helpful with everything as far as band stuff goes and he always said there will be spot in the band for Kevin.” Although he may love math and band, it is soccer that gives him a chance to get away. A good ‘sport’ Playing sports was always a part of Kevin’s life growing up. As a little kid, he played basketball and baseball.Catching and throwing the ball was never a problem for him, but admits it wasn’t always smooth sailing. “Hitting was the one tough part, everything else wasn’t too hard,” he said. But then there was soccer. Growing up, Kevin played in recreational leagues which is where his love for the game came alive. As Kevin entered high school, he found out the competition was going to be a little tougher than your normal rec league. He was going to have to compete for playing time. “From the very beginning, he was just like any other kid,” Louisburg assistant coach Tony Juarez said. “He wanted to learn how to play soccer and to give his best. He always had knowledge of the game, but from his sophomore to senior year, he progressively got better.” Although Kevin played on the junior varsity team all four years, he was a member of the varsity squad this past season. He realized his coaches and teammates wanted the same from him as any other player. “They just treated me normal and expected me to do everything everyone else does,” Kevin said. “It is pretty tough. Coaches will let you know if you have done good or bad. They were always teaching and it was a lot of fun.” Kevin was always happy with where he played, whether it was as a defender or a forward, but he had always had a dream of playing goalie. Juarez heard whispers during his sophomore season, but never put him in. This season, was a different story as he entered two junior varsity games in goal and more than held his own. “It was just the biggest thrill for him and he did well,” Juarez said “He caught the ball, threw and punted the ball. It was just fun to watch him out there.” Two years ago, he also made a defensive play that caught Juarez completely off-guard. He tells it like it happened just yesterday. “He made one of the most amazing plays I have ever seen a kid make defensively,” he said. “Two years ago against De Soto, our goalie made the save, went down and the ball deflected off the goalie. It went to the middle of the field. Kevin jumped up diagonally and headed it out. It was really cool to see because it would have tied the game and we could have lost but Kevin saved the game.” However, shortly after the game happened, Kevin and his parents were given news that shook their lives in the coming months. Another obstacle Following Kevin’s 2007 soccer season, he went to the doctor to check out a bump which had been growing on his forehead. It turned out as more than just a bump — it was a tumor. The bump resulted from an autoimmune response in which a lot of matter grew on the skull and surgeons were forced to remove it. The tumor was caused when too many white blood cells form and accumulate in different organs. “I wasn’t aware of how serious it was,” Kevin said. “I had it for awhile, and I didn’t even know what it was until I went to the doctor.” The tumor had already eaten away a hole in his skull about the size of the nickel, which left the doctors concerned. They needed to remove it soon. “The mass was initially considered inoperable because it was too big to remove, so our option was one of two injections to turn these rouge autoimmune white cells back into their immune mode,” Lori said. “White cells help destroy certain foreign material and fight infection ... therefore the hope for Kevin was that injection would turn around these cells from bad to good, and cause them to dissolve themselves.” However, a month had passed since the injection and the bump was still there. The family had planned to meet with the doctors to set up another injection. Things were looking grim for Kevin and his family. “The problem was that the injection didn’t work in the time frame that it was supposed to and we didn’t have any other options,” Lori said. “This was the stressful time because we were about a month past the success rate of the injection and we were going back to the doctor’s a lot to figure out what to do.” Luckily, the Sitek’s didn’t need to figure out anything. On the night Kansas won the national championship in basketball in April 2008, Kevin noticed his bump was gone and the whole family breathed a sigh of relief. Then in the fall, Kevin wanted to play soccer again and all they could think about was the hole in his head. “I had very serious issues with him playing again,” Lori said. “We had great doctor’s at Children’s Mercy and they assured us that we would be ok.” That doesn’t mean they still don’t get a little concerned when he plays. “Even now when we see him do a header, we still kind of cringe,” Rich said. A bright future As Kevin walked out with his parents on Senior Night in October, he knew his soccer career was coming to a close. All the good times with teammates and exciting plays on the field are now memories. But it was Kevin who left a lasting impression with his team. “He is more about doing the right thing and not getting any accolades,” Juarez said. “He just wants to be Kevin. He just wants to be like any other kid. I think that is probably the biggest thing I recognize out of our kids. Kevin has always been the type of kid where he doesn’t want any recognition, he just wants to do well at what he does. He is an exceptional child.” Just like soccer, Kevin’s band days are winding down as well and Cisetti couldn’t have asked for a better student. “Kevin is a success because he has a great work ethic,” Cisetti said. “Can’t is not in his vocabulary. It may take longer, and it may take a different approach, but Kevin gets it done. And he has fun doing it.” Kevin is now hoping to use his math skills to further his career. He has aspirations of becoming an engineer, and why not? For most of his life, Kevin has figured out ways for things to work for him and when he gets older, he hopes to make things easier for others. “I just try to do the best at everything I can,” Kevin said. “And hopefully that is good enough.”
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