Justin Feil

By: centraljersey.com
On Wednesday, Jordan Culbreath discussed for the first time what it has been like to return to football after missing almost all of last year to fight aplastic anemia.
Back for a second try at his senior year at Princeton University, the running back is hoping it’s the last time he has to talk about the disease that cost him the final eight games of 2009.
"Hopefully," he said, "next time is about my performance in a game."
Culbreath is living in the moment. Eleven months ago, it looked like football was over for him, but he was back with the rest of the team last Wednesday when preseason practices began.
"Since I didn’t think I’d ever get a chance to play again, every day is exciting," Culbreath said. "I take advantage of every day I get out there.
"It’s been pretty exhausting," he added. "It’s started to get hot out there. I’ve been doing well. Not too bad."
Princeton wasn’t counting on his return this season, and neither was Culbreath, who spent last fall worrying about much more serious things than bad-breathed linebackers. Aplastic anemia was causing his immune system to attack his bone marrow. Not long after diagnosis, he began intravenous drug treatment.
"They suppressed my immune system and allowed my bone marrow to recover," he said. "Luckily, it worked.
"My counts started going up a bit in January," he said. "Once early spring came around, I was getting back in the gym, doing little workouts at a time. I still had low blood counts, so it was still tough. Two months before camp, I got cleared. It was still a question whether I could play because I had to get in shape."
Culbreath considers himself fortunate that his body reacted well to the treatments.
"Aplastic anemia is not an issue for me," he said. "It worked. It can always come back. The one thing I do get treated for is PNH, which can cause abnormal red blood cells that break down prematurely. Medication prevents those red blood cells from breaking down, and I’ve had more energy."
Another form of treatment for aplastic anemia patients is a bone marrow transplant, but Culbreath is happy that he did not need one.
"If I was to get a marrow transplant, it would have been more of a process," Culbreath said. "I’m glad the treatment worked for me the first time. If I got the bone marrow transplant, I don’t think I’d be playing this year."
Instead, Culbreath will take medication every two weeks intravenously. Aside from that, he hopes to focus on football and some schoolwork, though he had the discipline to complete his thesis last year.
"It took a lot of mental strength to get through what I was going through last fall," Culbreath said. "Once I saw there was even a little possibility (to play), I got back in the gym and pushed myself mentally and physically, and I was able to recover pretty quickly.
"I committed my summer to getting back on the field," he added. "I knew for sure I’d be able to play again about a month ago."
Culbreath still has a little ways to go to return to the form that made him the top running back in the Ivy League. But progress has been steady through the preseason workouts.
"I’m getting more confident with the offense every day, more comfortable with the ball in my hands every day," he said. "I’ve worked to get my weights up where they were pre-illnesses. They’re almost there. I’m taking it one day at a time. There are still a lot of questions to be answered. I don’t know how I’ll react to playing again."
In an ideal world, Culbreath will return to lead the Tigers to the Ivy title. His return has given Princeton an unexpected boost.
"They’re all happy to see me back on the field," Culbreath said. "I’m happy to be back on the field and see all these guys. It’s a new coaching staff, and everybody is excited to be back on the field and see how we can perform. It’s a team. It’s not about one player."
Jordan Culbreath’s blood counts are coming back, and, he hopes his career as a football player is also coming back. He isn’t fearful of how it will go, just thankful that he has the chance to play again.
"It’s more just excited," he said. "This is an opportunity I didn’t think I’d get. Any bit that I get, I’m happy. I cherish every moment. I definitely look at it differently now."