By Barbara D. Kiernan, M.A.'90

"If almost dying has taught me anything," says mechanical engineering major Trevor Kelly '06, "it's that life can end in an instant. More than anything, I've lost the sense of invincibility and want to get the most out of every day I have." It's a desire that has animated Kelly's time at Fairfield, during which he has played four years of varsity lacrosse, represented his team on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), and assumed leadership roles in both.

It could have been a different story. When you're a Division I-caliber athlete, you get used to the aches and pains that come with physical exertion. So at first Kelly ignored the sharp pain in his chest. He was just into his second week at the U.S. Naval Academy Prep School, where he was spending a post-high school year (2001-02) to raise his grades a bit and do the physical conditioning that would prime him for a spot on the Naval Academy's varsity lacrosse team, to which he had been recruited. As the pain grew worse, he sought out the physician on base, who suspected a torn pectoral muscle. All those push-ups, you know.

Fast forward several weeks, factor in a persistent fever and a dry cough, and the conditions were ripe for what happened next: he awoke unable to breathe, collapsed in his room, and was rushed to the hospital. At first diagnosed with pneumonia, it soon became clear that the infection had spread beyond his lungs: the pectoral sac surrounding them was filled with fluid and pus. When antibiotics didn't clear it up, doctors decided to drain it. "They stuck a needle in my back," Kelly recalls, "but the fluid had become too thick."

Emergency surgery followed. Recovery included two more weeks of hospitalization, the first in intensive care as chest tubes helped complete the surgeon's handiwork. With strict instructions to avoid physical activity, Kelly went home to Corning, N.Y., with his parents. A week later, a follow-up visit to the family doctor brought unexpected bad news. A crust had formed over one lung and was constricting it. He would need another surgery.

"I just started crying," Kelly says. "I had just gone through the worse experience of my life and to have to go through it again, I just couldn't take it." The second surgery proved far more dangerous and painful than the first and left Kelly with a scar that runs from his chest to his back. He lost forty pounds during the three-month ordeal and couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without getting winded. Neither he nor the doctors knew if Kelly would be able to play lacrosse again.

During his yearlong recovery, he decided not to return to the Naval Academy. Instead he contacted Ted Spencer, men's lacrosse coach at Fairfield. "Coach Spencer said he would be glad to have me," recalls Kelly, "so I did the application process and hit the gym, determined to begin the hard work of getting back in shape to play."

Four years later, the 6'3'', 200-pound senior provides a strong presence on the Stags' defensive unit. And according to Coach Spencer, the development of Kelly's leadership skills has been as awesome to watch as his physical comeback. In SAAC, the student-athlete organization that makes decisions about policies, community service, and players' welfare, Kelly has served as representative, treasurer, and now vice president. "This year, he's also co-captain of the team," says Spencer," "and he's demonstrated that he can motivate the guys."

That sometimes includes "calling out friends in front of the whole team for being late to practice," Kelly says. "But if you don't say anything, the rest of the team sees it as acceptable to be late. Plus, some day we'll have jobs where we have to show up every day, on time. On the other side of the coin, this means that Josh (Thornton '06, co-captain) and I can never be late ... That's tough when you want to take your time getting out of bed in the morning, but such is life."

Ah, life.

Note: Julie Greco contributed to this article.