The harrowing tale of Patriots player Calvin Anderson’s near-fatal bout with malaria

[Zuma]

I think this board owes Anderson an apology.

Because we didn’t know what the serious illness was?

 

[n1997y]

I think this board owes Anderson an apology.

Some on this board, certainly. Others weren’t as quick to treat him like yesterday’s cat litter.

Because we didn’t know what the serious illness was?

Yes.

Among other things. Some acted like it wasn’t even real.

Basically some folks on here castigated him for not playing stellar LT when he was deathly ill, and they should apologize for that.

 

[State]

I'm shocked that he didn't get shots ahead of time to prevent that. There's a whole battery you're supposed to do when traveling to different parts of Africa. That being said, I'm glad that he's ok and seems to be 100% now.

True, dat.

It’s like Russ Francis on his motorcycle without his helmet on. Got hurt. Don Hasselback had to fill in for the season.

Going near the Equator one must be on guard.

 

[PScottman]

I'm shocked that he didn't get shots ahead of time to prevent that.

There are multiple means, but usually prophylaxis is the most common. Unfortunately for many the solution isn't fun either...I remember being sick from the medication itself, but grinned and bore it because the alternative was much worse.

Of all the unknowns going into this campaign, this one is the most intriguing both from the narrative story of the comeback, but also being such a crucial need for this team.

 

[1960Pats]

Yeah, this guy sounds like an amazing human being, and someone to root for. Just wow.
I was a "dead man walking" this fall without knowing it, and a firm nudge to get checked out medically saved my life. "Grateful" is an entirely inadequate word in these cases.
How amazing would it be for him to solve the LT problem? Odds are small, but what the hell. Go Calvin!

Sadly, I have multiple stories of men who had a medical issue but didn't want to go to the doctor and passed away. One of them passed within a few days of telling me of his problem and me telling him to go get checked out. He was the patriarch of the family and his wife and daughters couldn't get him to go.

On the flip side my wife survived bladder cancer and our youngest son survived melanoma, thanks to his wife's insistence that he have a small spot on his back checked out. Every time I see her I thank her. The doctor said that she saved his life.

 

[Stu Pidassle]

There are multiple means, but usually prophylaxis is the most common. Unfortunately for many the solution isn't fun either...I remember being sick from the medication itself, but grinned and bore it because the alternative was much worse.

Of all the unknowns going into this campaign, this one is the most intriguing both from the narrative story of the comeback, but also being such a crucial need for this team.

I used to have to travel to India for work and was given the choice of two medications to protect against malaria. Each had their own side effects. The choice was nausea or nightmares.

 

[BTTA]

I used to have to travel to India for work and was given the choice of two medications to protect against malaria. Each had their own side effects. The choice was nausea or nightmares.

You try both? What did you end up with for a preference?

 

[Stu Pidassle]

You try both? What did you end up with for a preference?

I went with nausea my first trip and had no real issues. It might not be a reliable example because I forgot to take my pills after the first week and never finished the medication. After that I didn't do anything because I always stayed withing the city limits (Bangalore) where the chance of catching malaria was low. The important part was being very careful about what I ate and drank.

 

[State]

Sickle cell anemia is an adaptation to malaria. I have read history and Marines and soldiers that contracted malaria in WWII could experience relapses of it later. Even years later.

So maybe Cal is not out of the woods yet.

 

[BTTA]

I went with nausea my first trip and had no real issues. It might not be a reliable example because I forgot to take my pills after the first week and never finished the medication. After that I didn't do anything because I always stayed withing the city limits (Bangalore) where the chance of catching malaria was low. The important part was being very careful about what I ate and drank.

We spend trillions of dollars over a hundred years of modern medical history and then you go and act like a human being.. The drug designer and public health officials assume that the tradeoff of a little nausea to avoid something as awful as malaria will be fine, that people's rational minds are in charge. You gotta wonder how much of our history is shaped by normal quirky behavior like that despite all the magnificent efforts otherwise.

 

[Stu Pidassle]

We spend trillions of dollars over a hundred years of modern medical history and then you go and act like a human being.. The drug designer and public health officials assume that the tradeoff of a little nausea to avoid something as awful as malaria will be fine, that people's rational minds are in charge. You gotta wonder how much of our history is shaped by normal quirky behavior like that despite all the magnificent efforts otherwise.

Next you will be telling me that I need another booster or five. LOL

 

[captain stone]

The moral of the story, boys & girls, is: Never travel to ****holes.

 

[DaBruinz]

Because we didn’t know what the serious illness was?

Zuma - There are certain people on here who still s**t on Anderson even after it came out that he almost died. And that came out during the season..