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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Victorious Raiders parade trophy through downtown Ashland State police search for pursuit suspect near Hyatt Lake Police Reports Cheering on the champs Ashland's Safeway part of Haggen acquisition Education For a friend: AHS seniors team up to help former fellow student Ashland builds a bridge across the STEM gap Chicken pox hits Ashland Middle School AHS speech and debate team to compete in Medford Ashland: Lions Club steps up for vision tests Environment New TAP pumps bolster Ashland's options Most residents speak against gas pipeline proposed for Southern Oregon Home Help: Make your new house feel like home ‘Tis the season — for wild mushrooms Business Ashland's Safeway part of Haggen acquisition The Playwright pub will be serving again Saturday Mt. 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State police search for pursuit suspect near Hyatt Lake ... Raiders bring it home ... Victorious Raiders parade trophy through downtown Ashland ... State police search for pursuit suspect near Hyatt Lake ... Raiders bring it home ... ASHLAND HIGH SCHOOL For a friend: AHS seniors team up to help former fellow student Fundraisers include courtside couch, bowl-a-thon Comment By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Dec. 18, 2014 @ 3:14 pm By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Dec. 18, 2014 @ 3:14 pm » Social News Tyree Heesacker’s life, before the sickness changed everything, wasn’t what one would describe as ordinary. It was better than that. He was cruising through a brilliant senior year and was one of the leaders on an Ashland High football team that won its first 11 games, most by lopsided scores. An all-state defensive lineman and two-way all-conference selection for the Grizziles, Heesacker was a terror for Ashland opponents, for obvious reasons — he stood 5 feet 11 inches and tipped the scales at a ripped 215 pounds, strong enough to push with the big boys in the trenches and quick enough to catch running backs and quarterbacks from behind, which he often did. But not long after Sherwood vanquished the Grizzlies’ dream of winning a state title on Nov. 23 of 2013, Heesacker began to notice some troubling symptoms: loss of appetite, stomach cramps, fatigue, frequent trips to the bathroom – so many, in fact, that sleep deprivation also became a problem. Eventually, he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, a prognosis which was later amended to Crohn's colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract. There is no known cure, only treatment to help minimize the symptoms. “Well, my initial reaction was absolute sadness,” Heesacker said. “I went into a bit of a depression ... I went from 215 pounds down to 145, and that was a huge identity change for me. I didn’t really know what to think. I was like, ‘Who am I anymore?’ So I was kind of trying to find myself, and I think that’s pretty normal, considering what happened. “Since then I’ve learned to accept the disease and accept what I look like now, and just try to get to that point of remission.” In an attempt to help ease some of the financial burden and show their support, Ashland High seniors Steen Fredrickson and Dylan Woodruff are trying to raise money for Heesacker through a pair of fundraisers — a “best seat in the house” raffle at Ashland basketball home games, and a bowl-a-thon Feb. 7 at Roxy Ann Lanes in Medford. For the best seat in the house, $1 raffle tickets will be sold before the varsity games and winners drawn at the start of every quarter. The winners will be able to sit in the “best seat” that quarter, along with a friend of their choice, and are also awarded a free hot dog and drink. The “best seat” is a couch that’s been placed at midcourt at Mountain Avenue Gym. The plan had to be approved by Ashland High athletic director Karl Kemper. “We got the couch in there before the last game and tested it out without anybody being there, and it worked out well so he (Kemper) was fine with it,” said Fredrickson, a standout pitcher and infielder for the Ashland baseball team. For the bowl-a-thon, supporters will be asked to donate either a flat rate or whatever they’re willing to give for every closed frame. In other words, if somebody pledges $1 per closed frame and the bowler they’ve pledged to tosses 10 strikes or picks up 10 spares, they’re on the hook for $10. Roxy Ann Lanes has donated the lanes (the event begins at 1 p.m.), and Fredrickson says all the proceeds will go right to Heesacker. “I want to get as many people as possible, but I would love it if we got like 60 to 75 people to pledge,” said Fredrickson, who along with Woodruff has made the fundraisers his senior project. While the goal is to raise money for a friend, Fredrickson says “charity” isn’t what he’s after. “That’s the last thing I want out of this,” he said. “I don’t want this to be some charity event, because he doesn’t need our charity. He needs our support. If everyone teams up, we could do a big thing.” Heesacker’s road has been long and difficult, but a little more than a year after he was first diagnosed he feels like he’s turning a corner. That doesn’t mean he’s back to his old self, of course. Not even close. But, he says he’s at “about 60 to 70 percent” and getting a little stronger every day. This week he got his second Entyvio injection, which helps prevent his white blood cells from attacking his own body. “(My doctor) says I’ll notice huge changes in up to six weeks,” Heesacker said. “I don’t know if it’s that or everything else, but I’ve noticed an increase in energy.” This breakthrough followed months of frustration, pain, depression and anger. Heesacker continued to lose weight long after being diagnosed and at his lowest point, in September, he was down to a staggering 121 pounds. Now, he’s back up to 140. “I was very scared,” he said. “There have been a couple points where I didn’t know if I was going to make it. It’s very, very scary looking at yourself in the mirror and knowing that you have an untraceable protein level.” He continued to go to school last winter until it wasn’t feasible anymore, then worked from home with the help of a tutor in order to earn his diploma. Before the diagnosis, Heesacker had planned to attend Central Oregon Community College in Bend and study fire science. He wanted to be a firefighter. Now, he’s not so sure. He’s considering a career in functional medicine, or possibly one in which he’ll be able to help others dealing with auto immune disorders. As far as the lifestyle changes, which are mostly dietary, Heesacker’s learned to live with it. He’s very careful about what he eats — gluten, corn, dairy and soy are out of the question — permanently. He also is mindful of his stress level, because high anxiety can also cause a flare up. To head that off, he attends three yoga classes a week and sees an acupuncturist twice a week. Heesacker knows there are long-term consequences as well. He’ll have to have frequent colonoscopies, possibly one every two years. And there’s an increase risk of colon cancer. But for now, he’s looking forward to this spring, when he hopes to take the next big step. “Once my blood levels are back to normal I can try to reintroduce foods,” he said. “And hopefully by that time, I’ll have full energy and can move out of the house and start college.” Members of the public who wish to donate to the effort can call Steen Fredrickson at 541-944-3363. Joe Zavala can be reached at 541-776-4469 or [email protected]. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Dec. 18, 2014 @ 3:14 pm » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. fantasy football Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch, Luke Willson's Post-Week 16 Fantasy Reaction Dec. 22, 2014 at 12:13 am Biggest Fantasy Takeaways for Week 16 Dec. 21, 2014 at 11:49 pm Studs, Duds from Fantasy Week 16 Dec. 21, 2014 at 9:51 pm Post-Week 16 Fantasy Reaction for Luck, Herron and Wayne Dec. 21, 2014 at 8:31 pm Way Too Early 2015 QB Fantasy Football Rankings Dec. 21, 2014 at 8:23 pm Early Pickups and Breakout Fantasy Football Candidates Dec. 21, 2014 at 8:09 pm calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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