Hoya Blue plans to present a get well card to ailing alum Alonzo ourning (CAS ’92). According to Earl Dos Santos (MSB ’04), who developed the idea behind the card, it will be a “show of appreciation” for the Miami Heat center sidelined by a kidney disorder.
Hoya Blue will have tables in Red Square this week where students can sign one of the nine pieces of posterboard that will form the card. Also, students will have the opportunity to give donations to an undetermined charity dedicated to helping those in similar situations as Mourning. The tables will be in Red Square from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. from today through Friday. They will also set up tables at McDonough Gymnasium before the men’s basketball exhibition game against U.S. Army Fort-Hood on Friday night.
“We’re trying to support not only the players we have now but also our players from the past,” said Hoya Blue president Ryan DuBose (COL ’02). DuBose and Dos Santos emphasized that Mourning has been a loyal alumnus, visiting the school on road trips through Washington and practicing in McDonough Gymnasium during the summer.
Mourning recently announced that his doctors diagnosed him with focal glomerulosclerosis in a news conference. The disorder leads to kidney failure in more than half of its cases. However, there are no immediate plans for a kidney transplant or dialysis for ourning.
The illness has taken its toll however, as the 30-year-old ourning will miss the entire 2000-2001 season with the Heat.
According to Mourning’s doctors, the condition, which was discovered during a routine examination two weeks ago, is similar to that of the San Antonio Spurs’ Sean Elliot. Elliot, who had a kidney transplant last year, has spoken with Mourning regarding the condition.
Focal glomerulosclerosis causes the kidneys to leak protein into the urine. Should it go untreated, the leaking can cause scarring and eventually cause the kidney to cease functioning, requiring a transplant.
While Mourning will undergo treatment for the disorder, roughly half of the cases develop chronic renal failure. The disorder used to be the fourth largest cause of death in the United States.
Hoya Staff Writer Mike Hume contributed to this report.
Related Links
Mourning To Sit Out Season (10/17)
Mourning May Have Kidney Disease (10/13)