Powell bounces back from illness that caused him to lose 50 pounds, miss game
Senior offensive lineman Jamal Powell is viewed by many of his teammates as a leader on the field. The team is eager to have him back after an illness almost threatened his life.
By Danny Gillham
Sports Editor

Jamal Powell battles 300 pound behemoths looking to disrupt the TCU offense every game.

But the hardest battle Powell ever had to face came from within his own body.

After practices, Powell was a little more tired than usual. That fatigue kept Powell out of most of the two-a-day practices and the starting lineup against Nebraska.

Powell battled through the sickness, and managed to start the Frogs’ remaining 11 games. However Powell lost more than 50 pounds during the season.

“People don’t understand how it hurt us last year,” head coach Gary Patterson said. “He was the leader of our offensive line. They had played really well in the spring before, then he didn’t go through any of the two-a-days and they kind of lost their identity, and it hurt them for the whole season.”

The illness baffled Powell and team doctors.

“I couldn’t digest my food correctly,so I lost a lot of weight, and fatigue would set in,” Powell said. “We couldn’t really find out what was wrong until I had a liver biopsy. I wasn’t going to have one until after the season, because if I had, I wouldn’t have been able to play.”

In January, Powell had the biopsy, and doctors determined he was suffering from autoimmune hepatitis.

The illness is caused when the body’s immune system attacks the liver, mistaking the cells for foreign matter, causing inflammation and liver cell death, according to Webmd.com.

Despite losing all his weight and strength, the coaches stuck behind Powell.

“They were always there for me,” Powell said. “I remember at the beginning of the season, coach (Mike) Schultz told me he was going to do anything and everything to make sure I got better. Coach Patterson always kept me in the starting lineup, and kept faith in me. That meant a lot.”

With the illness now controlled by medication, Powell is at 300 pounds again.

“I’ve been waiting for a while to be full strength,” Powell said. “It feels good to be healthy enough to be a leader for everyone, especially the offensive line.”

Teammates are happy to see him back.

“He’s the anchor of the line, especially emotionally,” senior quarterback Sean Stilley said. “He’s a big motivator that keeps people going. Losing someone like that is very devastating.”

Now, only opposing behemoths will be devastated.