On Sunday November 27, 2016 Stone Freeman woke up knowing he had to do all of the homework he did not bother to do over Thanksgiving recess.  What Stone did not know was he would spend the next two nights at Rhode Island Hospital.

            The University of Rhode Island sophomore spent his Thanksgiving break like he always does.  Freeman enjoyed his hometown high school football game, NFL games all weekend, family, food, and some Black Friday shopping.  The only thing different was he came down with a fever.  “I never get sick,” Freeman said.  “At Thanksgiving dinner I got the chills and became extremely cold.  I had a big weekend planned with friends and family so I decided to just live off of ibuprofen and suffer through the fever.” 

            Black Friday came and went and Freeman got through it.  Saturday came and he felt fine.  “I woke up on Saturday morning thinking that this had all passed,” Freeman said.  “I felt like myself again.”  This was far from the end for Freeman.

            “I woke up on Sunday morning with a pain in my chest that I have never felt before,” Freeman remembers.  “I never feel like I am in serious medical attention so I did not panic I just wanted to be seen by a doctor.”  Freeman called his parents and they took him to the standing emergency room in their hometown of Warwick, Rhode Island. 

            “I remember them running all kinds of tests, blood work, and x-rays,” Freeman said.  “However, I did not feel sick.  I just felt a pressure on my chest but all the doctors and nurses were very cautious.”  Freeman sat in ER for 2 long hours with his parents sitting next to him. 

            Freeman is a huge sports fan.  All he had on his mind was getting home for the New England Patriots game at 4 o’clock.  Instead 2 o’clock rolled around and the doctor came into his room.  “I remember thinking, ‘Alright Doc, let’s get this on with, give me my pills because I have to get home for the Pats,’” Freeman said.  “I never thought I would hear what the doctor said. 

            Like a scene out of a movie the doctor told Freeman what was going on.  “The doctor looked at me and said, ‘Mr. Freeman you have inflammation around your heart, you need to be in a hospital right now,’” Freeman said.  Freeman said he started to cry.  He looked over at his parents and they both had blank faces.  Neither of them spoke.  “I just started asking a bunch of questions as I held back my tears.  What do you mean? I asked.  Will I survive this?  I just kept asking and asking. 

            Freeman had conditions called pericarditis and myocarditis.  Pericarditis is inflammation of the muscle surrounding the heart, and myocarditis is the inflammation of the heart.  Doctors said that it is a caused by a virus, which explained why Freeman had a fever the days before.  Both conditions are curable is targeted early. 

            Freeman stepped out of the room to use the bathroom as the doctors talked to his parents.  “I needed to gather myself,” Freeman said.  “I looked in the mirror and knew this was going to pass as long as I was confident.”  Freeman took a deep breath and walked back into his room.  “I walked in and saw my dad crying.  My dad is stern man.  He is a lieutenant at the ACI.  When he cried I get nervous.” 

            The doctors and nurses gathered all of Freeman’s charts and sent him by ambulance to Rhode Island Hospital.  “My first time in an ambulance and my first time spending the night in the hospital,” Freeman remembered.  “It was weird because I still could not believe it.” 

            Freeman would spend the next two nights in the hospital looking out at downtown Providence through his tenth floor window.  The hospital ran tests, x-rays, MRI’s, blood work, EKGs, etc.  “You name it, they did it to me in those two days,” Freeman said.  They confirmed what the standing ER had said and discharged Freeman on Tuesday November 29. 

            “I went home and was so happy because my Rhode Island Rams played on Tuesday and they did not have the channel at the hospital,” Freeman said.  As he got home the pain still stayed with him but the doctors said that was normal.  The pain takes weeks to months to go away.  “It was scary more than anything because I could feel the same pain but I knew it was normal.” 

            The next few nights were tough as Freeman slept in a recliner because lying down made his chest hurt more.  Now his everyday routine involves about six pills a day.  “I am 19-years-old, this should not have happened to me,” Freeman said.  “But it did and it proved something to me.  It proved that I was human.  So many times we get caught up in how great life is that we forget that it can all be taken away.  I am human and this experience proved that to me.” 

            Freeman did not let this stop him from his everyday life.  He missed one week of school and then got back to his everyday life.  He went back to Rhode Island basketball games and cheering on his Patriots. 

            Freeman credits his family and friends for sticking with him.  “This was the scariest moment of my life,” Freeman said.  “I got countless visits and kind words and prayers.  Without my parents, sisters, family, and friends this would have been a lot worse.  They are my rock.” 

            The recovery process is still on for Freeman.  He sees a cardiologist now and cannot exercise until the New Year but he says that it is worth it if it means he will be healthy.  He takes about three pills a day now to help deal with pain and decreasing the inflammation. 

            Freeman has begun to live healthier.  “They told me that I was healthy and could not have not anything to prevent this,” Freeman said.  “But I just want to assure that I stay on my game.” 

            “I still keep the hospital band in my pocket,” Freeman said.  “It just reminds me that I am a human and crap like this can happen at anytime without warning.”