BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) - Trevor Sedlacek never played a down in his senior football season. A knee injury this past summer left Sedlacek on the sidelines for the Beatrice High School Orangemen.
The setback didn't stop Sedlacek from being a visual and vocal leader for the team, however.
Decked out in his No. 32 jersey with a clipboard under his arm, Sedlacek paced the sidelines like a student coach, offering encouragement and advice for his teammates.
He was their chief motivator, the heart of the team.
Assistant coach Corey Wells said Sedlacek's impact was felt even though he was not in pads.
"I still think he was a kid who everyone looked to as a leader," Wells said. "He might not have been on the field, but he was basically a coach for the kickoff team. He is an incredible leader."
Sedlacek's influence extends beyond the football field, as he is also involved in music at the school.
Vocal music teacher and Limited Edition director Kelly Meyer said Sedlacek has a positive, contagious attitude.
"He is always positive, that's what I like best about him," Meyer said. "He is positive and happy all the time. Even if he's not feeling well, he has a positive attitude."
Fast-forward three weeks and everything has changed.
On Oct. 27, Sedlacek left school with a headache that wouldn't go away.
The next day, he still felt sick. His eyes and head throbbing, Sedlacek still made it to the Orangemen's playoff football game against Blair.
Nancy Sedlacek, Trevor's mother, said she and husband Lowell were reluctant to let him go, but when Trevor insisted.
During the game, however, Sedlacek couldn't be found pacing the sidelines. He sat on the bench in obvious discomfort, Nancy said.
His condition worsened as his temperature rose overnight. His stomach became agitated.
After three days of not feeling well, Sedlacek went to the emergency room at Beatrice Community Hospital. Doctors treated him for gastroenteritis with IV fluids. They drew blood and found his white blood cell count to be high.
But the temperature kept rising, his breathing became more labored.
An X-ray showed problems with Sedlacek's lungs, a mass was lodged in his left lung, possible non-Hodgkins lymphoma and pneumonia.
Doctors took a culture from the mass and cleaned out pus and infection that had developed around it during a small surgery. A few days later, doctors also suctioned mucus from Sedlacek's lungs to improve his breathing.
The culture taken from the mass in Sedlacek's left lung ruled out cancer but indicated the growth was the result of a strep infection. The pneumonia was due to aspiration when he was ill.
The headaches never subsided.
After a scan, doctors found lesions all across Sedlacek's brain.
On Nov. 11, Sedlacek's condition continued to worsen.
The regular doses of Tylenol and Motrin were not helping with the pain, so doctors began giving him morphine. Later that night, he was transported from St. Elizabeth Regional Medical Center in Lincoln to Children's Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha.
The next day, surgeons put a drain into Sedlacek's brain to help alleviate pressure from fluid and the growth of abscesses. Nancy wrote that later in the afternoon, Sedlacek was interacting with family and those around him.
Feeling a little better, visitors came the next day, Nov. 13. He kept food down for the first time in days.
On Nov. 15, doctors found blood in the fluid draining from Sedlacek's brain, prompting them to increase the fluid drained from his brain. He was also transferred to an airbed and given boots to help the circulation in his legs.
To continue alleviating swelling of his brain, doctors performed an emergency bi-lateral craniotomy - removing pieces of his skull - on Nov. 17.
That news, as doctors gained a better perspective of what was going on inside Sedlacek's skull, was devastating for Sedlacek's family.
"He has hundreds of abscesses in his brain in his brain," Nancy wrote. "It was the worst night of my life."
Over the weekend, doctors put Sedlacek in a medically induced coma to help his body in fighting the infections.
A hospital spokeswoman said Friday that the teenager was in serious condition.
While eagerly awaiting updates on their classmate, BHS students and teammates are reciprocating the support Sedlacek gave on the gridiron this fall.
Last week, students launched a T-shirt fund drive for their classmate. In a few short days, 317 "T-Sed 32" shirts were sold. The drive ended Wednesday.
Nancy Sedlacek said the family has received overwhelming support from the school and community.
"All of the thoughts and prayers are so greatly appreciated," she added. "The community has shown overwhelming support and kindness. It's unimaginable."
Information from: Beatrice Sun, http://www.beatricedailysun.com