Walking Tall

The prognosis was bad. The explanation was worse.

“The doctor described it as ‘a shark bite on your femur.’”

Josh Marquardt finished his tenure at Orange Lutheran in May. He was a member of the STEM program, an Ignite team leader and a member of the Young Alumni Council.

But his most memorable experience was playing volleyball during his senior year, a feat that in the summer of 2014, seemed impossible.

Marquardt had always been a high-flying athlete as a basketball and volleyball player. So he often shrugged off the pain that he experienced in his knees. But by the time he reached his junior year at Orange Lutheran, with the pain only increasing as time went on, he started to realize that something was wrong.

“With volleyball and basketball, obviously there is a lot of jumping,” Marquardt said. “I was playing volleyball one day and I landed on my knee wrong a few times. And it hurt. When I got home that day and walked up the stairs, my knee just turned. And that night, it swelled up huge.”

A short time after, Marquardt underwent an MRI in his right knee, for what he thought might be a torn meniscus.

It wasn’t a torn meniscus. It was osteochondritis dissecans.

“It’s often just called OCD,” Marquardt explained. “Over time, with the pounding on my knees, the bone in my knee wasn’t getting enough blood. So the bone slowly disintegrated. The cartilage in my knee was basically filling in for the bone.”

The rare knee disorder would not only require Marquardt to have surgery, but he would need a bone donor.

Two months passed and no donor had been found, when doctors presented another option to Marquardt. The disorder had also developed in his left knee, but not as severely as his right. Doctors offered a stem cell injection for Marquardt to receive in his left knee, with the hopes that it would help stabilize the cartilage in the knee. However, they weren’t sure what effect it would have on the bone.

Josh Marquardt '15

The same day that Marquardt decided to have the injection on his left knee, a bone donor was found. He underwent surgery on June 11.

After the surgery, Marquardt couldn’t walk for over two months. He was bedridden for a month and then required to use a wheelchair. During that time, he used a continuous passive motion (CPM) machine to help him increase his range of motion, iced his knee throughout the day, and met with physical trainers three times a week.

Marquardt finally began to walk the first day of his senior year.

“It was rough. Volleyball starts that first week. So I’m just sitting with my cane, helping the guys, but I wanted to be on the court. But I stayed optimistic.”

That’s when things began taking a turn for the better.

The stem cell injection in Marquardt’s left knee had helped build bone in the bottom of his femur. The bone stabilized. The surgery on his left knee, which doctors thought to be a given, wasn’t needed.

“That was just a prayer answered,” Marquardt said.

Marquardt’s plan was just to get back to fifty percent by the time the season started. He went to Appalachia with the Missions team in the fall, and by the time he got back, he couldn’t jump but he could play.

“I remember that first practice, I was just passing and my knee was getting really fat, but it was a ton of fun. I was out there with the guys, being loud and having fun. And touching a volleyball.”

By the start of the second semester of his senior year, Marquardt could finally jump again.

“The first game I played in was a scrimmage against Los Al. After the game, I hugged my mom and she was crying. She couldn’t believe I was out there. That summer, I couldn’t even walk. So that was a cool moment.”

Marquardt didn’t miss one practice or game due to his knees the entire season. He also served as captain of the team.

“I never can jump or move as quick as I once did, but I’m able to go out there and play and move. And that’s a miracle in itself. But I always believed I would be able to get back out there. I never lost hope.

“My knees had their ups and downs,” he added. “It went week by week. I developed tendinitis in my left knee and my right knee held up but swelled a ton after every single game. It’s not where it should be. But all in all, they made it through.”

During the ordeal, Marquardt admitted there were moments when he couldn’t understand why this was happening to him. “On the outside, from what my parents saw, I was being optimistic.”

“But that summer I would see everyone having fun and going on trips. I was stuck in this machine and I would be mad and lash out emotionally. I asked God, ‘Why?’”

“But I realized, it was for the better somehow. My mom prayed with me every single night. She supported me, even when I felt mad at God.”

Marquardt now attends UC Santa Barbara, where he majors in mechanical engineering.

He isn’t sure if he’ll try to walk on to the volleyball team. He might just stick to playing club. He is also considering joining the rowing team.

But regardless of what sport he plays, Marquardt is just thankful to be playing.

“This is just an example of a small test so I can face even bigger tests in the future,” he said. “It’s about perseverance and getting through adversity.

“I can only see this small part of the story. But God has an entire picture laid out for me.”