THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WWW.KANSAN.COM
VOL.115 ISSUE 142
PROFILE
THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2005
Andy had multiple surgeries to remove the necrotic tissue from the toes and balls of his feet. Andy's left foot has a metal frame with 14 rods that help force his foot to a 90-degree angle, which will help him to eventually walk with real shoes. His right foot is inside an orthopedic boot with a 4-inch heel.
WHOLE again
KU grad Andy Marso fights, survives and lives with the scars of meningitis
By Marissa Stephenson mstephenson@kansan.com | senior staff writer Photos by Stephanie Farley
Editor's Note: A year ago today, KU senior Andy Marso woke up in his scholarship hall room critically ill with meningitis. Kansan senior staff writer Marissa Stephenson reconstructs his year in the following narrative. Quotes and scenes were provided in interviews conducted with Andy and others who were there. Photos on the inside pages are graphic, and demonstrate the reality of the disease and its consequences.
The hand is color No. 4. It's darker than the prototype he practiced with and more like his own skin, a subtle tan. The prosthetic is heavy, nearly a pound. The slick vinyl plastic covers a hard metal frame that creates a thumb, index and middle finger — the ring finger and pinky are pure plastic, just
with these sensors.
for show. Only the thumb and index finger move at his command. Right now, he's commanding them to accomplish a simple task.
TOP: Andv Marso concentrates
Andy Marso in his senior photo for Cathedral High School in St. Cloud, Minn.
Peel this banana.
He has to time it perfectly. The remaining severed muscles in his left hand, amputated just below the last knuckles, twitch to trigger six round metal contact points inside the prosthetic's
on flexing muscles in what remains of his left hand. His hand is inside a prosthetic that has six round metal sensors that activate its fingers. In order for the fingers to move, his muscles must align
beige cuff. If he flexes too hard, the hand turns into a vice, smashing the banana with up to 40 pounds of force. Too light, and the fruit falls to the floor.
He positions the plastic hand over the fruit. The extended cuff and prosthesis are four inches longer than his arm once was, which makes this even more of a precision, everballing chore.
He carefully contracts the muscles in his left stump and watches the foreign fingers close around the yet-unblem-
RIGHT: Prosthetist Matthew Luetke fits Andy for his prosthetic hand. The diagnostic socket is clear so Luetke can see whether it's a tight fit. The socket was used to make the mold of the inside of the prosthesis.
ished yellow skin.
Got it. He can't feel the banana, can't sense whether he's squeezing too hard, but he's lifted the fruit up to his face, and now, with the one finger he still has—his right thumb—he switches off the battery-powered hand.
Completing this simple task, without help, is a milestone.
April 28, 2004
It's 5 a.m. Wednesday, and Andy Marso groggily wakes up. He feels nauseated, thirsty and thinks he's still running a fever. Padding down the Pearson Scholarship Hall steps for a glass of water, the nerves in his feet prickle, like his feet are asleep. But it's not that — it's only like they're asleep. The prickles feel weird, painful, not like anything he's felt before. He went to bed last night with chills, fever, weakness; all the symptoms that made him call his parents and tell them he must have the flu. Sick as he was, he covered the Basehor softball senior-night double-header anyway — Andy's The Sentimental high school athletics reporter — and missing a game, flu or no flu, isn't how he operates.
over his skin.
At 11 a.m., he struggles to open his eyes. He's in and out of consciousness. With great effort, he tries to pull himself out of bed, but when his feet touch the cold linoleum, it feels like electric shocks running
Andy gets back in bed and thinks maybe he can sleep it off.
Helpless, he lies back down.
Lying on his back, Andy doesn't yet know the year ahead will include 10 surgeries. He can't see the next four months in the hospital, the 50 percent of his body covered in blackened, dead tissue that looks like third-degree burns.
His hands feel fine, all 10 fingers still intact, and the choice whether to amputate his legs below the knee or fight to keep what's left of his feet is weeks
away, Right now,
he just can't
move.
Clay Britton walks out of his Modern British History class and remembers he should check
on Andy. Clay knows Andy was sick with a 103-degree fever last night, and he wants to check on his friend — a best friend, the first friend he made in college. Both were wallflowers at a Pearson Hawk Night event when they first met freshman year. Clay will see if Andy's well enough to play 1080, the XBox snowboarding game they're both hooked on.
Clay knocks on Andy's door at 11:40 and gets no answer. He opens the door and sees Andy lying under the covers, half moaning, half asleep.
Andy operates his prosthetic hand by flipping an on/off switch on its right side with his lone finger — his right thumb. On Monday, Laetke made sure Andy had no trouble switching the prosthetic on and off.
SEE MARSO ON PAGE 4A
Thieves thrive during spring
CRIME
Open windows, doors make burglars' work easy
BY JOSHUA BICKEL
jbickel@kansan.com
KANSTAN SAST WRITER
Unlocked doors and open windows common during the springtime make homes and vehicles easy targets for burglars, said Sgt. Dan Ward of the Lawrence Police Department.
While the number of burglaries and thefts doesn't change during the spring, the method of entry does. More burglaries and thefts occur because of unlocked doors. Ward said.
On-campus buildings and property are also vulnerable. Last week, a $1,500 laptop computer was stolen from the Art and Design Building and a parking pass was stolen from a car, according to KU Public Safety Office reports.
In the last week, KU students have reported 15 thefts, according to police records. Eleven of those thefts occurred either on campus or near campus and four of those burglaries were classified as non-forced entry.
In one of the incidents,
$1,825 worth of property was
taken from the 1300 block of
Kentucky Street, according to
police reports. Among the items
stolen were two digital cameras
and jewelry.
"We see a lot of non-forced entry in the spring." Ward said.
Even though residential burglaries don't happen very often, it's mostly during the spring and summer when they do occur, said Lois Schneider, who, along with her husband, Jim, owns 17 rental houses. All are within walking distance of the University.
"T there's lots of people around here that find creative ways to break into a house." Lois Schneider Lawrence landlord
One of the couple's properties was burglarized recently, she said. All of their properties have deadbolts installed and lighting around the houses to deter people from breaking inside. But those precautions didn't stop one burglar from breaking in.
Since then, Schneider has spoken with a number of her tenants, reminding them to lock their doors and windows at night.
"There's lots of people around here that find creative ways to break into a house," Schneider said.
- Edited by Kim Sweet
. Rubenstein
BUSINESS
Store closes department
Wal-Mart starts to expand auto section first to go
BY ADAM LAND
andakans.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Richard Chappelle heard the rumors weeks before the actual word came.
Last February, Wal-Mart,
3300 Iowa St., announced it would expand within the next year and a half.
While the store will remain open during the renovation, some departments will close temporarily.
First to go was the automotive department, which closed April 1.
still have a job Chappelle said. The employees will be assigned to seasonal departments — lawn and garden during the summer, back-to-school during late summer and Halloween until the automotive department reopens about November 1.
With the new expansion comes a need for more employees. Wal-Mart currently employs 325 people, and by the end of the expansion the store will require about 550.
"I think it will open up a lot more jobs for students," Douglas said.
Automotive employees will
SEE WAL-MART ON PAGE 2A
All contents, unless stated otherwise,
@ 2005 The University Daily Kansan
Jayplay
谢
Tattoos aren't just for leather-clad bikers, and they're as common on campus as flip-flops. Whether you have a tattoo, are thinking about getting one or think they're ridiculous, you need to read this.
Nobel alumnus
A KU graduate, who won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, spoke last night at the Kansas Union about many world issues. PAGE 3A
求
Offense-driven
Bunts, singles and sacrifice flies helped the men's baseball team pull an easy victory over Sacremento State yesterday. Coach Ritch Price has high hopes for the remaining season. PAGE 1B
3
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