Oct. 25, 2001
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech center Michael Isenhour has been diagnosed with acute lymphomic leukemia, head basketball coach Paul Hewitt said Thursday.
The 6-8 senior from Lawrenceville, Ga., was admitted to Emory University hospital Tuesday and will remain there for five to six weeks to undergo chemotherapy treatments.
Isenhour had experienced fever and swollen glands, prompting an examination and blood tests which revealed extremely high white blood cell counts. Tuesday, he had blood tests performed at the Georgia Tech student health center, had follow-up tests at Piedmont Hospital, then was admitted to Emory in the afternoon.
“Everyone on our team is in shock at this news,” said Hewitt. “He is a big part of this team, both on the court and off. We’re all praying for his health and recovery. Beyond that, our secondary goal is to keep him on schedule to graduate.”
A mechanical engineering major, Isenhour is scheduled to graduate from Tech in December. He also is a member of Tech’s student-athlete advisory board and has been spearheading an effort to conduct a Toys for Tots drive at the Yellow Jackets’ football game against Georgia on Nov. 24.
He has played in 39 games in the last two years after transferring from the Air Force Academy, and was expected to contribute significantly to this year’s young squad. Last season, Isenhour was an integral part of Tech’s 10-player rotation in Hewitt’s first season on the Flats, playing in 27 games and averaging nearly 10 minutes a game.
His playing time was curtailed toward the end of the season due to an entrapped nerve in his lower right leg. He underwent two surgical procedures to correct the condition, the most recent having occurred Oct. 4. He was not expected to return to the court until early November.
