adoniijahsooner
1/1/2010, 10:04 AM
This should make the guy's accomplishments even more impressive, playing with a condition that could possibly kill him. I read this article in November and came away very impressed with the young man.
Ronnell Lewis perseveres for Sooners despite disorder
By Jenni Carlson The Oklahoman
NORMAN — Ronnell Lewis sprinted across the practice field, arms pumping, legs driving.
The things that make Ronnell Lewis a promising defensive prospect — intensity and tenacity — are also his biggest barriers to success. They could sideline him. Slow him. Even kill him. Lewis has the sickle cell trait, an inherited blood disorder.
He loved every minute of it.
"For me, my world revolves around just working,” Lewis said. "That’s all I can do.”
That kind of work ethic has made him a bright spot in a dark season. With national title dreams snuffed out by nightmare injuries and frightening miscues, many in the Sooner Nation are already looking forward to next season. Up-and-comers like Lewis provide hope of better days ahead.
He’s a special teams star, delivering several big hits this season and even recovering a fumble Saturday against Texas A&M. He’s working more into the defensive rotation, too.
But the things that make Lewis a promising prospect — intensity and tenacity — are also his biggest barriers to success. They could sideline him. Slow him. Even kill him.
Lewis has the sickle cell trait, an inherited blood disorder. Most of the time, the condition causes no ill effects. During times of prolonged or intense physical exertion, though, it can cause some of his red blood cells to become crescent shaped instead of round. Their flow is hampered, blocking blood vessels and keeping oxygen from vital organs.
That is called exertional sickling, and it can be deadly.
Even when the condition is not at its worst, it can be problematic.
Lewis first notices shortness of breath when he’s starting to sickle.
"My legs start to tighten up,” he said. "My lower back, it kind of hurts all over. I just feel lightheaded.”
To think, Lewis didn’t even know he had sickle cell until he got to OU.
Growing up in Dewar, he played every sport that was available. Football. Basketball. Track. He became a star in all of them, and in the tiny Okmulgee County town a few miles north of Interstate 40, that meant he rarely came off the field, court or track.
He remembers a couple times in high school football when plays were sent in from the sidelines for him, but he was winded and hurting. He couldn’t do it. He needed a breather.
"In the huddle,” said Lewis, who played offense, defense and special teams, "I had to change plays.”
Sometimes, he wondered if he needed to condition more, if he needed to run more or lift more or push more.
Now, he knows better.
"Now that I know I have this sickle cell, I have to be really cautious with what I do,” he said. "I’ll push my body to that limit until it starts hurting or the effects start. I’ve just got to give my body a break.”
Sickle cell may alter his workouts, but Lewis isn’t about to let it change his goals. He realizes, after all, that the sky is still the limit even with this condition.
OU has tested every incoming athlete for sickle cell for more than a decade, and the tests have revealed 19 cases. Among them was former Big 12 defensive player of the year and current Atlanta Falcon starter Curtis Lofton.
"I didn’t know anything about it until I got to OU,” Lofton said of having the sickle cell trait. "In high school, once I got to a certain point, I would start feeling really bad. I would start cramping up.”
It would get so bad that he’d have to go to the hospital.
"I never could figure out what was going on,” he said.
A $10 blood test gave him the explanation, and Lofton was better able to manage his condition. Even though coaches and trainers were mindful of it, he policed it best.
And it never was a problem. He never missed a game, a snap or even a practice because of sickle cell.
"It definitely didn’t hold me back,” he said. "The sickle cell trait, I have it, but it doesn’t prevent me from doing what I need to do and doing the job I need to do.”
He chuckled.
"I just continue to reach and hit all my goals.”
Lewis plans to do the same. He isn’t about to let sickle cell hold him back from becoming a starting linebacker, a defensive mainstay, maybe even an NFL player. He is focused on making those dreams a reality.
That is evident to his teammates and coaches.
One day during the offseason, defensive end R.J. Washington was lifting and glanced at how much weight Lewis was bench pressing.
"He was stronger than me,” Washington said of the true freshman.
Lewis’s work ethic was evident then and continues to be now.
"When he first got here, like any of us, he was just completely confused,” Washington said. "Now, he’s starting to get it. He’s starting to pick it up. I’m excited to see what he does in the next couple years.”
Sooner defensive coordinator Brent Venables feels the same way about Lewis’ potential.
"I think he has a chance to be as good as any player that we’ve had on defense,” Venables said. "He has that kind of ability, but there’s factors that will determine that. There’s a lot of sacrifice that goes into becoming that type of a player. A lot of that is not up to me. It’s up to him.
"But if he stays the course, he’ll have a chance to have an incredibly bright future.”
Lewis intends to do his part. He will work. He will persevere. He will stay on track, even if it means taking a break every now and again when he starts feeling signs of his sickle cell.
"It’s something I have to do,” he said, "then just keep striving.”
Read more: http://newsok.com/ronnell-lewis-perseveres-for-sooners-despite-disorder/article/3418286#ixzz0bNBwNPMG
Ronnell Lewis perseveres for Sooners despite disorder
By Jenni Carlson The Oklahoman
NORMAN — Ronnell Lewis sprinted across the practice field, arms pumping, legs driving.
The things that make Ronnell Lewis a promising defensive prospect — intensity and tenacity — are also his biggest barriers to success. They could sideline him. Slow him. Even kill him. Lewis has the sickle cell trait, an inherited blood disorder.
He loved every minute of it.
"For me, my world revolves around just working,” Lewis said. "That’s all I can do.”
That kind of work ethic has made him a bright spot in a dark season. With national title dreams snuffed out by nightmare injuries and frightening miscues, many in the Sooner Nation are already looking forward to next season. Up-and-comers like Lewis provide hope of better days ahead.
He’s a special teams star, delivering several big hits this season and even recovering a fumble Saturday against Texas A&M. He’s working more into the defensive rotation, too.
But the things that make Lewis a promising prospect — intensity and tenacity — are also his biggest barriers to success. They could sideline him. Slow him. Even kill him.
Lewis has the sickle cell trait, an inherited blood disorder. Most of the time, the condition causes no ill effects. During times of prolonged or intense physical exertion, though, it can cause some of his red blood cells to become crescent shaped instead of round. Their flow is hampered, blocking blood vessels and keeping oxygen from vital organs.
That is called exertional sickling, and it can be deadly.
Even when the condition is not at its worst, it can be problematic.
Lewis first notices shortness of breath when he’s starting to sickle.
"My legs start to tighten up,” he said. "My lower back, it kind of hurts all over. I just feel lightheaded.”
To think, Lewis didn’t even know he had sickle cell until he got to OU.
Growing up in Dewar, he played every sport that was available. Football. Basketball. Track. He became a star in all of them, and in the tiny Okmulgee County town a few miles north of Interstate 40, that meant he rarely came off the field, court or track.
He remembers a couple times in high school football when plays were sent in from the sidelines for him, but he was winded and hurting. He couldn’t do it. He needed a breather.
"In the huddle,” said Lewis, who played offense, defense and special teams, "I had to change plays.”
Sometimes, he wondered if he needed to condition more, if he needed to run more or lift more or push more.
Now, he knows better.
"Now that I know I have this sickle cell, I have to be really cautious with what I do,” he said. "I’ll push my body to that limit until it starts hurting or the effects start. I’ve just got to give my body a break.”
Sickle cell may alter his workouts, but Lewis isn’t about to let it change his goals. He realizes, after all, that the sky is still the limit even with this condition.
OU has tested every incoming athlete for sickle cell for more than a decade, and the tests have revealed 19 cases. Among them was former Big 12 defensive player of the year and current Atlanta Falcon starter Curtis Lofton.
"I didn’t know anything about it until I got to OU,” Lofton said of having the sickle cell trait. "In high school, once I got to a certain point, I would start feeling really bad. I would start cramping up.”
It would get so bad that he’d have to go to the hospital.
"I never could figure out what was going on,” he said.
A $10 blood test gave him the explanation, and Lofton was better able to manage his condition. Even though coaches and trainers were mindful of it, he policed it best.
And it never was a problem. He never missed a game, a snap or even a practice because of sickle cell.
"It definitely didn’t hold me back,” he said. "The sickle cell trait, I have it, but it doesn’t prevent me from doing what I need to do and doing the job I need to do.”
He chuckled.
"I just continue to reach and hit all my goals.”
Lewis plans to do the same. He isn’t about to let sickle cell hold him back from becoming a starting linebacker, a defensive mainstay, maybe even an NFL player. He is focused on making those dreams a reality.
That is evident to his teammates and coaches.
One day during the offseason, defensive end R.J. Washington was lifting and glanced at how much weight Lewis was bench pressing.
"He was stronger than me,” Washington said of the true freshman.
Lewis’s work ethic was evident then and continues to be now.
"When he first got here, like any of us, he was just completely confused,” Washington said. "Now, he’s starting to get it. He’s starting to pick it up. I’m excited to see what he does in the next couple years.”
Sooner defensive coordinator Brent Venables feels the same way about Lewis’ potential.
"I think he has a chance to be as good as any player that we’ve had on defense,” Venables said. "He has that kind of ability, but there’s factors that will determine that. There’s a lot of sacrifice that goes into becoming that type of a player. A lot of that is not up to me. It’s up to him.
"But if he stays the course, he’ll have a chance to have an incredibly bright future.”
Lewis intends to do his part. He will work. He will persevere. He will stay on track, even if it means taking a break every now and again when he starts feeling signs of his sickle cell.
"It’s something I have to do,” he said, "then just keep striving.”
Read more: http://newsok.com/ronnell-lewis-perseveres-for-sooners-despite-disorder/article/3418286#ixzz0bNBwNPMG