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Storm outfielder battles illness to play
REID ENGLISH
Statesman Journal
March 31, 2004
Some days Kit Norris aches so bad he doesn’t feel like going
to school or practicing with the Chemeketa Community College baseball team.
Those are the bad days.
On the good days, he’s attending classes and playing right
field for the Storm. Sometimes, he gets help from centerfielder Sam Houston if
he has trouble seeing a fly ball.
Norris, 22, had a great day March 11 when he went 3 for 4
with two doubles. When he’s seeing the ball well he is a sharp hitter. But his
vision isn’t 100 percent every day.
A good day for Norris would likely be a bad day for others.
He is often fatigued. He has headaches daily. His joints swell. He has kidney,
liver and heart problems. He has required a cane to walk.
“To see him walking with a cane a year ago and sliding into
second base this year makes your spine tingle,” said John Doran, Chemeketa
baseball coach. “He’s a special individual. I’m not sure if I’m coaching Kit or
he’s coaching me about choices in life.”
Norris contracted Lyme disease in 2000 in Lethbridge,
Alberta, when he was playing in scrimmages for Treasure Valley Community College
of Ontario.
Lyme disease is a tick-borne infectious syndrome transmitted
from small mammals to humans through bites from infected ticks. It can be cured
if detected early, but Norris’ prognosis is uncertain, because he wasn’t
diagnosed with the disease until nearly a year after he caught it while serving
a Mormon Mission in Guam. The Bend native had left Treasure Valley after three
weeks because he felt the need to join the mission.
Norris had been in Guam for eight months when his illness
was discovered. He returned home to rest for 18 months and then completed his
mission with five months in Spokane, Wash.
“I felt good for the first month, but then I went downhill,”
he said. “I was getting very fatigued and lacked strength.”
His desire to return to school and play his favorite sport
connected Norris with Chemeketa. He had tough workouts last spring and summer in
preparation for his newest challenge.
Ron Norris, his father, cited an example of Kit’s
determination after entering Chemeketa last fall.
“During fall ball, he needed his cane in the morning because
his knees were so swollen and stiff,” Ron said. “By noon he was OK. He doesn’t
let things get in the way of his goals.”
Norris came to Chemeketa because of his desire to play
baseball and because of Doran, who had recruited him when he played for Mountain
View High School in 2000.
“It was very nice to step back and say I’m part of the game
I used to love and still love,” Norris said. “It was the most wonderful feeling
to put the uniform back on and say I’ve overcome a lot.”
Just playing again does not make this comeback complete.
Norris has to get proper rest and food to keep in shape. He needs 10 to 12 hours
sleep a night.
“Sometimes, I’m so sapped from the daily events that fatigue
factor is a big part of it,” he said. “Being dizzy and light-headed are other
problems. If a fly ball comes my way, my centerfielder tells me to get back or
go forward. Sometimes, it’s challenging to see a curveball like I used to.”
In the past year Norris has been on a diet that prohibits
wheat products. And he is allergic to tap and chlorinated water.
Doran said he’ll use Norris depending on how the player
feels. If Norris feels fine Thursday when Chemeketa hosts Mount Hood Community
College, he’ll play.
Earlier this season, he took a few days off because of an
enlarged liver. His most recent problem was an irregular heart-beat 10 days ago
when the team was in Pasco, Wash. Now, he periodically wears a heart monitor.
Mark DuBois, Chemeketa pitching coach, said Norris shows his
character by his actions and determination.
“He has an unbelievable outlook on life,” DuBois said. “Our
kids are affected by his work ethic. He is an amazing story.”
Despite his daily health situations, Norris is happy doing
what he enjoys.
“Coach Doran presented an opportunity that’s very hard to
pass up,” he said. “It’s a big love of my life. It reminds me every day I come
out here what I’ve overcome. It’s a second opportunity to fulfill a dream.”
Doran said Norris has the strongest will of anyone he’s met.
“To an average person it would seem difficult,” he said.
“He’s an inspiration to me, the coaches and players.”
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