Breathing easy

BY MATT SCHUMAN

schuman@greeleytrib.com

WINDSOR -- Imagine playing a physical sport like hockey and having trouble eating, breathing or taking a drink of water when dehydrated.

Jason Cross doesn't have to anymore.

For a long time those troubles were a way of life for the 14-year-old defenseman on Windsor's Providence Predators Bantam B team.

But Cross can breathe easier on the ice after doctors discovered the Loveland teenager had a rare condition called Achalasia, a disorder of the esophagus, or the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach.

One surgery and several weeks of rest later, Cross returned to the ice, helping his teammates to a championship in the Continental Divide Youth Hockey League 2005 Bantam and Squirt Championships, which was held this weekend at the Providence Ice Centre in Windsor.

The first-year traveling team took the title with a 1-0 victory over the Denver Country Club in the championship game Sunday.

But for Cross, playing is a victory in itself.

Because achalasia is rare -- about 2,000 people are diagnosed annually in the U.S. -- it took doctors nearly two years of testing before a doctor at Children's Hospital in Denver finally diagnosed the problem. He sent Cross to have surgery at Children's Hospital in Milwaukee earlier this year.

Cross first started to realize he had the problem three years ago. He battled difficulties with swallowing that got worse, causing him to vomit frequently. When he swallowed water, he would have to wait for it to trickle down his throat. On the ice, he would find it difficult to catch his breath.

"Because my esophagus was so enlarged, it was putting pressure on my diaphragm, so I couldn't take as deep a breath," Cross said. "So I was getting tired quicker."

Doctors kept testing.

With bad heartburn, Cross underwent a couple upper gastro-intestinal scopes because doctors thought he had a severe case of acid reflux disease. He was on heartburn medicine for over a year, but it didn't work.

Doctors then thought he had asthma, pointing to his fatigue on the ice. They gave him an inhaler to use. That didn't work either.

After eliminating a multitude of other possibilities, he was finally diagnosed.

Doctors opted for the surgery because medication would only temporarily relieve the problem.

So Cross flew to Milwaukee for the nearly three-hour operation to permanently open the sphincter muscle, which regulates food going into the stomach. Doctors also wrapped part of his stomach around the esophagus to help fix Cross' acid reflux.

Though he needed surgery to correct the problem, Cross was just thankful he would finally be able to live a more normal life. He doesn't have to worry about food getting stuck in his esophagus by eating too fast, and he can skate without the fatigue.

While he was out, he missed his teammates and they missed him. His team constantly kept Cross and his family posted with team updates, even right after his surgery.

"We called right after the surgery because they were in a tournament that weekend and they were kind of bummed that he didn't get to play," his father, Kary Cross, said. "So they called us after every game in Milwaukee to let us know the score."

Many of Jason's teammates, like La Salle's Robert Downes, 14, and Greeley's Erik Molander, 14, were worried Jason wouldn't be able to play again.

But that wasn't the case. Cross only had to sit out four to six weeks after the surgery. Doctors warned he might be sore for awhile but added he wouldn't have to worry about getting hit.

"The third week, he was ready," his father said. "He watched one game and he said, 'I am ready to go back.'"

Of course, his coaches wouldn't let him return until he was fully recovered. Once he had, he was good as new.

"I didn't think he would be able to come back, and then he came back and he was just as fast as when he skated on our team before," Downes said. "He didn't lose his speed or his endurance, and I was impressed with that."

His coach, Tristan Exner, always knew he'd be back strong.

"I wasn't worried he wouldn't be able to play hockey. I was just wasn't sure when he would be back," Exner said. "He has just got that attitude where if he wants to do it, he is going to do it, so this was just a little bump in the road."

Jason is just glad to be over that bump.

"It's nice to be able to take some deep breaths and skate hard without problems," he said.

TOURNAMENT NOTES

MEMORABLE FIRST: This is the first year that Providence Ice Centre has sponsored traveling teams, and the first-year program has proven to be a success. The rink had five traveling teams this season, two of which won championships at the tournament.

Besides the Bantam B team, the Predators Squirt C team also won the championship with a 3-2 victory over the Southern Colorado Amateur Hockey Association (SCAHA) Thunder out of Colorado Springs.

By virtue of their victories this weekend, the two Predator teams will advance to the state tournament next weekend in Denver.

HEART-WARMING ENDING: Cross was not the only athlete that had overcome hardship to play in the tournament.

Jeremy Byrns, 13, with the SCAHA Thunder B team, was back on the ice for the first time after having open heart surgery only seven weeks ago.

It was the second time Byrns had surgery on a muscle blocking his aortic valve.

Byrns said he felt great playing again even though his team suffered a tough 2-1 overtime loss to the Predators in Saturday's semifinals.

"It's like riding a bike," Byrns said about playing so shortly after the surgery. "You never forget how to do it."

SPEAKING OF THE OVERTIME GAME: The Predators had a dramatic comeback in that semifinal game against the Thunder, scoring a goal with under five minutes left in regulation to tie the game and force it into overtime. The Predators won.

Results of the Continental Divide Youth Hockey League 2005 Bantam and Squirt Championships held Friday through Sunday at the Providence Ice Centre in Windsor.

Championship games

Squirt C

Providence 3, SCAHA Thunder 2

Squirt B

Summit Lighting 6, Pueblo Panthers 5, OT

Bantam B

Providence 1, Denver Country Club 0

Bantam A

Pueblo Panthers, 3 Steamboat 1

THE LINEUP

No. 10 Austin Donnelly, 14, Fort Collins

No. 14 Mark Crawford , 14, Windsor

No. 25 Cody Romine, 14, Fort Collins

No. 31 David Swift, 14, Fort Collins

No. 33 Frankie Barnhardt, 15, La Salle

No. 40 Ian Thompson, 14, Longmont

No. 43 Jarret Hankey, 14, Loveland

No. 47 Sam Benedict , 14, Fort Collins

No. 48 Nathan Strah, 14, Loveland

No. 49 Timmy Clayton 14, Longmont

No. 50 Conner Glenn, 14, Windsor

No. 51 Michael Thompson 14, Loveland

No. 52 Logan Moore, 14, Loveland

No. 53 Chad McGill-Vonvorst, Longmont

No. 54 Jason Cross, 14, Loveland

No. 55 Chris DuHadway, 14, Berthoud

No. 56 Devin Dillard, 14, Fort Collins

No. 57 Robert Downes, 14, La Salle

No. 59 Erik Molander, 14, Greeley

Head coach: Tristen Exner. Assistant coaches: Tim Clayton, Joe Zakes.