Shane Lafond surges for extra yardage during Windham's tournament victory over Kennett. Despite battling Lyme disease, Lafond is a major reason why the Jaguars will play for the Division 2 state title on Sunday.

WINDHAM, N.H. — The 30 pills Shane Lafond takes daily leave him nauseated and weak, to the point he sometimes feels he will vomit or collapse in class or on the football field.

Lafond’s arms are scarred with the marks of IVs he requires nearly every day for medication and to draw blood, and doctors are anxious to install a permanent port — or “PICC line” — in his arm to administer the medicine faster and with less pain.

At one point, doctors thought Lafond had suffered a stroke, and he still experiences frequent memory loss.

“I watched my brother go through cancer treatments,” said Shane’s mother, Alex De Torres. “What I see Shane go through sometimes looks the same. I see him so tired and throwing up almost every day. People have no idea what he goes through to get to a football game. He is so brave. He is my hero.”

Lafond is battling Lyme disease, a debilitating and potentially fatal illness that was initially misdiagnosed, causing the Lyme bacteria to spread to his heart and brain.

The disease caused him to drop 20 pounds off his already slight frame in a month, and has forced him to undergo multiple invasive procedures.

But when doctors told Lafond he would be forced to miss his senior football season, the Windham star had reached his limit.

“I was in infectious disease at Children’s Hospital (Boston) and doctors walked in and told me I would not be playing football,” said Lafond. “But I said I had to play. The doctors didn’t want me to, and told me I would be lucky to be 60 percent of myself. But as long as I was playing football I was happy.”

Despite his struggles, Lafond remains a star for the Windham football team, which will play in the New Hampshire Division 2 title game on Sunday against St. Thomas. Kickoff at the University of New Hampshire is 2:30 p.m.

“We are so thrilled,” said Lafond, also a starter on last season’s Division 2 state champion Jaguars squad. “We had a lot of doubters, so to prove them wrong is so sweet. Now we want to repeat as champions.”

Illness sets in

A few months ago, however, it appeared Lafond’s football career could be over as his family and doctors struggled to determine why he was becoming more and more ill.

“It started in late June when I came down with a fever of about 103.2 degrees for four days,” he said. “After that I got these ring-like lesions all over my body. Before I noticed I had gone from 175 pounds to 155 pounds.”

Early tests showed Lafond had an atrioventricular “A-1” blockage in his heart. Doctors wondered if he had Crohn’s disease.

“I had to have a colonoscopy for that,” said Lafond. “At 18, to need a colonoscopy is not too fun. It was rough.”

With tests coming back negative, Lafond and his family planned a trip to Seattle so he could visit colleges. But that soon led to a terrifying experience.

“We were visiting a school and I looked at Shane’s face and it just looked off,” said De Torres. “He said his face was tingling and I saw his eyes were blinking strange and watering.

“I remembered from television that if someone is having a stroke you should ask them to smile. Shane smiled and it was crooked. The left side of his face was drooping. I was so scared, but I tried to keep my composure and we took him to the hospital because something was very wrong.”

Nurses at the hospital believed Lafond had a stroke as the left side of his face had become temporarily paralyzed and major tests were required.

“I had 12 nurses around me thinking I had a stroke,” he said. “My heart was pounding. It was awful. But tests came back and my brain was fine. I just had Bell’s palsy.”

With his illness still undiagnosed, Lafond struggled through Windham football double sessions both physically and mentally. While playing in a scrimmage against Timberlane, the Lafond family had enough.

“He just looked wrong out there,” said De Torres. “Shane’s dad (Rick Lafond) was there and said he didn’t look like himself on the field. I told Rick, ‘I KNOW something is wrong. I see him every day and he isn’t himself physically or mentally. Something isn’t right.’”

Finally, an answer

Lafond’s parents took him to a neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he underwent a lumbar puncture, or “spinal tap” and another Lyme test.

Finally, the mystery was solved.

Lafond had Lyme disease, and it had spread to his heart and brain. It was treatable, but it would require major treatments due to the advanced state of the illness. He believes he probably contracted it from a tick that attached itself while he was walking his dog.

“People don’t realize the severity of Lyme disease,” said Lafond. “They see people get it and it goes away in a month. But if it is not treated it can turn into a very severe illness. You could end up in a wheelchair or worse.”

Each day, Lafond has had to take up to 35 pills, notably Doxycycline, which is used to treat illnesses from pneumonia to malaria and even anthrax. The major side effect is severe nausea. He also undergoes frequent doses of antibiotics.

But despite the illness and the struggles of the cure, Lafond was determined to play football.

“I still feel weak and there are times my mind tells my body to do things and my body doesn’t do it,” he said. “I also get foggy in my mind and forget things. Just at practice (on Tuesday), I forgot a play just out of the blue.

“When they take out my IV before games I get very nauseous, to the point I throw up every morning and feel like I am going to pass out. It’s very grueling. It is very hard. My stamina is awful. But I want to be out there.”

Through all of that, Lafond has played in every game, rushing for 434 yards and four touchdowns while also starting at defensive back. He rushed for 408 yards and three scores last season.

“We were worried about his safety and what it meant for him short term and long term,” said Windham coach Bill Raycraft. “What was most amazing is that he busted his butt to get out on the field. The bravery of this kid to go through everything his has, to not know what was happening inside his body and still know that he will be there for his teammates is amazing.”

Once the season ends, Lafond will have a permanent port inserted in his arm so the IV treatments can increase in frequency. He hopes to be done with the disease in three to four months.

But right now, Lafond is even more thrilled for Sunday’s state title game.

“After all of this, I appreciate football even more,” said Lafond. “And it would be a dream to end this season with a second straight state title. St. Thomas is a great team, but our who goal this season has been to prove the doubters wrong.”

David Willis writes for the Eagle-Tribune in North Andover, Massachusetts.