My name is Quincy Minor Jr, I am currently a junior here at Waldorf University based out in Forest City, Iowa. I was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which personally I believe as taught me to never take anything for granted, but believe me when I say I have goals set and I want nothing to come in the way of me achieving them. Of course, everyone is fully aware of what COVID is and what it has done for everyone in the past year. Yes there were set backs due to COVID, but personally I really felt like I was the one that got chosen to really get hit with setbacks. I had no symptoms, but for some reason I was so nervous but needed to know, and of course I got put into quarantine while I waited for my results. In the time that I was in quarantine my significant other had picked up extra shifts at work knowing that I was not going to be able to make them.
Unfortunately, I had tested positive for COVID-19. Of course I got put into isolation, which was by far the toughest time a person can go through by themselves; it is so lonely and gruesome. Of course my significant other whom was considered close contact to me as I tested positive got placed into quarantine. She was so distraught, but she understood the reasoning behind it all; so like others would, she gave up not only her shifts that she originally was under, but the shifts that she undertook because of me. You never realize what two weeks of work for two individuals can do to your paycheck until you literally live through it yourself. For starters money doesn’t come easy for either of us already, so having to go through this itself was hard on both of us because we knew there was no other way to try and make money while we were in quarantine and isolation.
Fast forward to mid-January I was in practice working hard, making up for the time that I was gone. We had a couple games and I was so fortunate enough to have a game where I scored 42 points myself. I felt like I was on top of the world because I found out I was the leading scorer for not only our team, but in conference as well. I knew I was way closer to my goal now and at this moment there couldn’t be anything that can get in my way; until when we had what is called 5 in 30’s, where we have to run down and back five times in thirty seconds. By our third one I felt this super sharp pain in my chest near my heart and it was a fight just to catch my breath. In a way I was very much concerned, but then again my athlete mentality got the best of me and made me believe that I was just “out of shape” because of isolation. I would feel the same pain every once in a while during practice especially our harder, more running based practices, but I kept it to myself because my athlete mentality told me that if I say something I wouldn’t be able to reach my goal of getting 1,000 points before my senior year starts. I talked to my significant other about the complications that I have been undergoing and that it would happen more on days that were more extreme, and she advised for me to talk with the trainer here on campus.
So of course that is what I did and the trainer set up an appointment with the specialist’s doctors in Garner, Iowa. The day came for me to head on to my appointment and hope for the best, but of course expect the worst. Leaving the appointment I was diagnosed with Pericarditis which is a condition in which the sac covering around the heart (pericardium) becomes inflamed, which was why I was having trouble catching my breath when doing more intense work outs. The worst part of the appointment was getting told that I was to refrain from practice, lifting and any competition until I get a stress test, and an echocardiogram done on my chest/ heart area and get clean results back showing that I am healthy enough to continue. I then got put on this medication to help reduce the inflammation, which at first felt like it was truly helping. I wasn’t feeling as tight in the chest area, but it also definitely felt like it wasn’t helping at all because it would give me heart burn every so often.
I returned the news to my coaches and of course being the leading scorer and captain of the team, I knew they would not take the news well, just like how I did back in the doctor’s office. I did not have to see my coaches face to see how much he was in awe, and clearly not the good kind. There was nothing that we would be able to change in this moment because at this point it’s my heart that we are gambling with. So without a doubt knowing Coach Nigel, he was supportive and understanding in that not only was I upset, but I now am dealing with the biggest set back of my collegiate carrier. Then of course after telling my team the news in person and just seeing their faces, later when hearing their comments was striking to me because I never realized how much of an impact I was to the team. My team literally had their doubts understandably, but then hearing my teammates talk about how they weren’t looking forward to the upcoming games at all, didn’t help the eagerness in me to want to get in and play and get cleared. All while to think that getting COVID and getting put into isolation was bad enough, this by far hurt me the most.
I was thankful to have a wonderful significant other because of course she was there by my side which I really needed. She knew that playing basketball was my getaway from life- when I play, all bad things are set aside, every thought that goes through my mind is put away; but now I cannot even go to my happy place. The next school day I went straight to Nurse Mary to tell her about my considerably new situation, at this point in my life I was eager to get those necessary tests done so I can get cleared.
As some athletes might think of this as a small break to catch up on some work, or catch up on some sleep, or get out of running, clearly that was not me because like mentioned above I have goals. I later found out that the doctors tried getting me in for a stress test three weeks out which I was not okay with so I did what I knew the inner athlete in me wanted. I called multiple places in the nearby area to possibly get me in sooner, or if there were any cancellations to please call me first because I was trying to get cleared as fast as I could as this point. After a couple days of trying I lost some hope of getting in sooner, but then I got a call that I was able to get not only the stress test, but the echocardiogram as well in that coming week.
Thankfully, I spread the word to coaches, athletic trainers, my family and my girlfriend. Everyone was so excited and finally hopeful that things were finally going our way. Stress test was first in the beginning of the week, despite the fact that it was magnificently difficult, I was proud to say that I passed my stress test. Now we were down one test and one more to go. Everyone stayed optimistic in hopes that my echocardiogram was going to go perfect as well. Finally it was the day for my last and final test to prove to me and everyone that I was healthy and able to go back and play. After the procedure was done I asked the nurse that was in the room with me “So how did things turn out?” she turned and looked back at me with a small smile and said, “You shouldn’t have a thing to worry about because from what we did today it looks very healthy and good.” I knew right then and there I was going to get the best news.
I am getting ready to leave the office, when the nurse said that I should be getting my results later that day, which meant if I turn everything into the necessary personnel, I could get cleared for Thursday’s home game. I tried everything in my power and my will to get my results faxed over to Nurse Mary that way we can get some kind of guidance. Unfortunately I found out that my results being faxed over to the school and to the specialists in Garner had slipped their mind, and just like that my luck out lucked me again, so I was not able to play for our home game on Thursday. Thankfully, they finally sent it over so that I was able to play for our game on Saturday, but for some reason I felt like there was something holding me back from my full potential of being the player I was before.
I’m glad to be back. Of course we got some things to work on that way I can get to my full potential and never play a game where I feel like I didn’t leave it all out there on the court. With heart problems already lingering in my family and my blood, I truly need to be careful about the small things that I do, eat, etc. I cannot live in the life of regretting anything, and just going through that small phase of having to see my team play without me. Going from starter and leading scorer to being forced to sit the bench hurt. It also made me realize that basketball will always be there for everyone, but for me it may not be there. Just like that, going back from a childhood thought/ memory- never take anything for granted, and this is a time where I saw everyone’s true colors.