StemCell Therapy

By Zach Cavanagh

It started about a year ago.

San Juan Hills boys basketball coach Jason Efstathioustarted to notice some things in his body last January. By March of last year,he found himself barely able to walk, and then by the summer, he was in bed fornearly 12 hours a day.

I was like a burn victim on the inside, Efstathiou said.

From May until late December and his full return asStallions head coach on Jan. 3, Efstathiou was out battling an extremely rareform of neuropathy. Efstathiou, who is a type-one diabetic, said the diseaseattacks your nerves and affects 1% of diabetics.

Most neuropathies see the victim lose sensation in theirnerves, but Efstathious neuropathy was the opposite with a hypersensitivityand burning sensation.

For three months, they didnt know what I had, Efstathiousaid. I was going to MRIs and CT scans and all that kind of stuff.

Over those months, Efstathiou had been getting daily treatmentswith doctors and nerve therapists. Treatments consisted of machines that sentsignals to his nerves.

Efstathiou said he had lost 35 pounds at one point, and withbeing out of work officially since May, the San Juan Hills parents andcommunity held a fundraiser in September to support their sidelined coach.

It sounds dramatic, Efstathiou said, but I was really bad, like almost died, thats how bad I was. They all knew about it. People were being very supportive. Im very grateful to the coaches. The coaches and parents in the program had my back big time.

Over time, Efstathious condition improved, and he returnedto practices in September in a limited capacity. Efstathiou spends most ofpractice sitting on a stool near midcourt and relays instructions through hisassistant coaches.

I still limp around, Efstathiou said. I cant demonstatestuff. When I coach or teach I have to sit down. Ive given my bench guysassignments. I dont have a loud voice again yet. I use a whistle now. Idnever used a whistle before.

Efstathiou said hes still healing, and his doctors andnerve therapist feel that Efstathiou will keep getting better. The amount ofimprovement hes seen makes Efstathiou feel that it will go away, even if ittakes another year or two.

On coaching, Efstathiou said the experience has changed himand has given him a new perspective.

Im more focused on the big picture than living and dyingwith each game, Efstathiou said. I dont get as gnarly. (With the players,)Im trying to be more like understand the situation, understand when somethinggets taken away. I feel fortunate to be here and coaching you guys. You guysshould be grateful to be on a high school basketball team. Theres so many kidsthat never make it to their high school varsity team.

Efstathiou also said the ordeal has bettered his sidelinedemeanor.

Its keeping me calmer, Efstathiou said. The more intenseI get then I start to get more burning. In my mind, I just have to staycalmer.

With Efstathiou returning just before the start of Sea ViewLeague play, keeping calm is a taller task some nights more than others, but sofar, the Stallions have been good with those things for their coach.

San Juan Hills (9-14, 3-1) won its first three league gamesin strong fashion with victories over Laguna Hills by 29 points, Dana Hills byeight points and El Toro by five points.

I told them the way weve been starting games playing withintensity, Efstathiou said, were going to be tough. A lot of teams wesurprise them a little bit. I think if you come out and play intense, and Ithink our guys are a little inspired right now, as long as we execute, I thinktheres a good opportunity.

Efstathiou got more fired up in San Juan Hills Wednesdaymatch-up as the Stallions battled league-favorite Tesoro for the league lead.The Stallions gave the Titans all they could handle and held a five-point leadin the fourth quarter. However, San Juan Hills couldnt execute down thestretch, and Tesoro took advantage of a foul-filled physical game by making itsfinal 14 points on free throws in a 65-57 win.

San Juan Hills still sits in second place in the Sea ViewLeague, and the Stallions will get another shot at Tesoro.

In the broad perspective, Efstathiou and San Juan Hills are right where they want to be.

Zach Cavanagh

Zach Cavanagh is the sports editor for Picket Fence Media. Zach is aCalifornia Journalism Award winner and has covered sports in Orange County since 2013. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @ZachCav and follow our sports coverage on Twitter @SouthOCSports. Email Zach at zcavanagh@picketfencemedia.com.

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Fighting the Fire: Battling Rare Neuropathy, San Juan Hills' Efstathiou Coaches with New Perspective - Capistrano Dispatch

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