The fight of her life
By Jodi Heckel
Sunday May 7, 2006
John Dixon
Erica Van Zuidam looks into the mirror as she brushes her hair. Erica, a University of Illinois student who lost her hands and feet after a bout of bacterial meningitis, plans to return to campus in the fall.
Last spring was a time of such promise for Erica Van Zuidam, a beautiful, athletic young woman finishing her first year of college.
But in a few short hours, she went from being a normal college student, hanging out at the pool with her friends, to fighting for her life. Bacterial meningitis, sometimes called the dorm disease, nearly killed her. It took her hands and feet.
It formed an even tighter bond between her already close-knit family, who found something to laugh at through some of the worst times of their lives.
Erica's faith in God, her positive attitude and her determination to be independent again have led her from her hospital bed through therapy to preparing to return to the University of Illinois this fall.
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