When St. Agnes doctors? discovered blood clots in sophomore Bradley Fraizer?s lungs and left leg, his family struggled to understand why.

?It was probably the most depressing thing anyone has ever told me,? Fraizer said. ?My doctor thought I had pneumonia, so I went to the hospital for a basic check-up. I wasn?t expecting to find out I had blood clots in my lungs.?

The family wanted to know what caused the clots and what treatment Fraizer needed.

?I took chest x-rays, two CAT scans, and I got at least 40 vials of blood taken and 24 of them the first day,? Fraizer said. ?I was worried about what was causing these blood clots and my parents tried to protect me by not telling me how serious the situation really was.?

While Fraizer?s parents stayed optimistic for the sake of their son, facts and statistics proved otherwise.

?My chances of living were very slim,? Fraizer said. ?The doctors told me I should?ve been dead because I had less than a 20% chance of living. It?s a miracle I am still alive.?

Football Team, Friends Offer Support

While Fraizer lied motionless in his hospital bed for hours at a time, the days seemed long and dull, but the love and support of family and friends helped.

?Coach (Michael) Fuller and the football team came to visit and comfort me at the hospital,? Fraizer said. ?They dedicated the Coast Union game to me, but they couldn?t give me the game ball because they lost. It was disappointing, but I knew they played their best.?

When J.V. football coach, Fuller went to visit Fraizer in the hospital, he understood the seriousness of the situation.

?I was instantly worried about his welfare and his health,? Fuller said. ?When I went to visit him he wasn?t even communicating. It was disheartening to see him sick and it affected our team as well as our morale.?

Fraizer also thanks fellow sophomores, Molly Griffin, Brittany Schaffer, Matt Andreatta, Katie White, and others who came to visit him every day.

?I don?t think I could?ve made it through this difficult time without them,? Frazier said. They made sure I knew I wasn?t alone.?

When Schaffer went to visit Fraizer at St. Agnes on Sept. 12, she had no idea of what to expect.

?I went to visit Brad because I wanted to be there for him,? Schaffer said. ?I was nervous and scared when I heard he was in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit). When I saw him I instantly felt sorry for him because I could tell he was in pain.?

Although many friends are to thank for spending time with Fraizer, his parents were the ones who gave him strength and encouragement in spite of the situation.

?I wouldn?t have been able to get through this without my mom (Sue) and my dad (Todd) because they were there for me the whole time,? Fraizer said. ?They truly loved and cared for me when I needed them the most.?

After spending nine days in the hospital, the doctors were still uncertain of what caused the eight-inch blood clot in his leg to break or the nine blood clots in his lungs. The doctors told the Fraizer family the Pulmonary Emboli (numerous clots in the lungs) and DVT (deep vein thrombosis) could have been a result of genetics, a football injury, or tumors.

?When the doctors told me I could go home, I was relieved because I wanted to get out of there,? Fraizer said. ?I felt like I had been cooped up in a psycho ward. I just wanted to go to the Riverdale football game and be with my teammates and friends.?

Fraizer Returns to School

While Fraizer waited at St. Agnes for results, school still continued and homework assignments piled up.

?The teachers were really supportive and they actually excused me from the majority of my homework,? Fraizer said. ?All of my teachers were just glad I was alive and back at school.?

Even though Frazier left the hospital on Sept. 21 and is now attending school, the side affects still remain.

?I was told I won?t be able to play the rest of this season and next football season and it?s the same for basketball,? Fraizer said. ?It?s the worst feeling in the world to get something you love taken away from you.?