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CANTON, Mo. (AP) — Now that he has graduated from Culver-Stockton College, Kegan Sill is ready to move on with hope and humor as he faces the next chapter of life with a daunting challenge.
The Quincy (Illinois) Herald-Whig (http://bit.ly/1Hnl9t0 ) reports that Sill, 22, was diagnosed three years ago with scleroderma, an incurable autoimmune disease that affects the body's connective tissue. Doctors told him he had a 50 percent chance of surviving 10 years from the time of diagnosis.
Sill jokes that his goal "has always been to make it to the 11th year — just out of spite." It's the sort of humor that is typical of Sill, who graduated with a degree in finance and a minor in international studies from the Canton, Missouri-based college on May 16.
Sill refuses to let the dire diagnosis stand in the way of his quest to live life to the fullest. He admits it's difficult at times to be facing a terminal illness, but tries not to allow self-pity.
"The way I see it — and the thing I always remind myself — is that we're not meant to live forever," he said. "Some people have a long life, some people have a short life. It's not a matter of when you're going to die but what you do while you're living.
"I try to enjoy it as much as possible and have a good time."
Scleroderma produces cells that kill the body's white blood cells. It also involves the overproduction of connective tissue, which leads to a hardening of the skin.
"You're turning to stone, in a way," said Sill, who was diagnosed in the summer of 2012, just before the start of his sophomore year at Culver-Stockton. "That's the really deadly part of it. The connective tissue suffocates your major organs on the inside — mainly the heart and lungs and kidneys."
Sill grew up in Rocky River, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb. He realized something wasn't right during his senior year in high school, when he was constantly sick.
But he continued to play soccer and received both an athletic and academic scholarship at Culver-Stockton. He played for three years before the illness forced him to stop.
"That was definitely one of the hardest experiences, because this game has been my whole life," Sill said.
Sill said his diagnosis "was a lot tougher on my family than it was on me." He added: "They're still hurting from it."
So when they get together, he tries to lighten the mood.
"Every time I see them, I'll try to crack a joke," he said. "That's my thing now. I'll come home and tell the corniest jokes that make you grin in pain. That makes me happy. And when I start laughing, they laugh a little bit, too."
Sill isn't giving up hope, citing tremendous strides in research.
"Anything is possible at this point," he said. "There's always a chance someone will come along with a huge breakthrough."
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Information from: The Quincy Herald-Whig, http://www.whig.com
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