Patriots OT Calvin Anderson is On an Incredible Comeback After Almost Dying Last Year from Malaria

Kevin Sabitus. Getty Images.

One of the great bar bets ever is the one that goes, "What animal that's ever lived is the deadliest to humans?" Which works because by the time everyone has exhausted the usual logical guesses of dogs, bears, sharks, tigers, snakes, hippos, T-Rexes or Alec Baldwin, you can call the bartender over and collect your drink after giving them the correct answer, which is the mosquito. Specifically, mosquitos as they spread the dreaded disease malaria. 

An estimate in the journal Nature in 2002 claimed malaria was responsible for 50 to 60 million deaths throughout history, which would be half of all humans who have ever lived. Though that article never cited sources and more reliable estimates put the number at a more reasonable, though still horrifying, 5% of all deaths ever. 

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What we do know is that throughout military history, the disease has proven to be even more deadly than enemy soldiers. From Napoleon's Egypt campaign to US Marines in the Pacific Theater in WWII and every battle in any part of the world where the climate is conducive to the spread, malaria has ravaged the troops.

National Library of Medicine - Ancient writings and artifacts testify to malaria's long reign. Clay tablets with cuneiform script from Mesopotamia mention deadly periodic fevers suggestive of malaria. Malaria antigen was recently detected in Egyptian remains dating from 3200 and 1304 BC (Miller et al., 1994). Indian writings of the Vedic period (1500 to 800 BC) called malaria the “king of diseases.” In 270 BC, the Chinese medical canon known as the Nei Chin linked tertian (every third day) and quartan (every fourth day) fevers with enlargement of the spleen (a common finding in malaria), and blamed malaria's headaches, chills, and fevers on three demons—one carrying a hammer, another a pail of water, and the third a stove (Bruce-Chwatt, 1988). The Greek poet Homer (circa 750 BC) mentions malaria in The Iliad, as does Aristophanes (445-385 BC) in The Wasps, and Aristotle (384-322 BC), Plato (428-347 BC), and Sophocles (496-406 BC). Like Homer, Hippocrates (450-370 BC) linked the appearance of Sirius the dog star (in late summer and autumn) with malarial fever and misery (Sherman, 1998).  …

It struck presidents from Washington to Lincoln, weakened Civil War soldiers by the hundreds of thousands (in 1862, Washington, D.C., and its surroundings were so malarious that General McClellan's Army en route to Yorktown was stopped in its tracks), traveled to California with the Gold Rush, and claimed Native American lives across the continent. Until the Tennessee Valley Authority brought hydroelectric power and modernization to the rural South in the 1930s, malaria drained the physical and economic health of the entire region. Just as the United States was eradicating its last indigenous pockets of infection, malaria reclaimed Americans' attention during World War II. During the early days of the Pacific campaign, more soldiers fell to malaria than to enemy forces. The United States' premier public health agency—the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—was founded because of malaria.

And while it's largely been dealt with in many parts of the world, by no means has it been eradicated. It's remained particularly pervasive in Africa. As Patriots offensive tackle Calvin Anderson discovered the hard way. The very, very hard way:

PFT - Anderson has revealed in an interview with the Boston Globe that he contracted malaria on a trip to Africa before training last year, which is why he started the year on the non-football illness list. Anderson’s condition was so serious that he was hospitalized in Massachusetts with a 104.5-degree fever, and doctors told him he had only a 50-50 chance of surviving.

Although Anderson managed to start the first two games of the regular season, he felt wiped out by missing out on the conditioning work he needed in training camp. Then, during a mid-season practice, he took a hit to the chest, felt pain and ended up diagnosed with a heart contusion. That injury landed him on injured reserve.

But now Anderson says he’s in great shape and feeling so good that his family talks about him being this year’s NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

“If I were to win Comeback Player of the Year, it would come with a lot of good play . . . which is why I’m in the gym getting crazy-big right now,” he said. “Don’t let that get lost, either. But if I were to win Comeback Player of the Year, it wouldn’t be about me, but about how God brought me back from this.’'

Ay carumba. As anyone who's ever had a fever around 102 or more, you can find yourself wondering if you'll ever survive the night. Or if you even want to. The sweet release of death can feel like a preferable option to your temp going any higher. But 104.5? That's the frequency for an FM station that plays "Rebel Yell" once an hour, not the internal temperature of a human being. 

Now add Anderson having to skip workouts, getting injured, being pressed into emergency duty because the Patriots were so thin on the offensive line, then ending up with a bruise on his heart, and it's hard to imagine a worse scenario for the guy. 

I'll raise my hand as being one of those Pats fans who was beyond frustrated with the state of the tackle depth on this roster last year. And no doubt took some of that frustration out on Anderson for not being healthy enough to plug one of the holes. Hearing now what a state of crisis he was, near death in fact, standing at life's 50-yard line across from the Grim Reaper, just hoping to win the great Coin Flip of Eternity, it's a reminder we all need once in a while that these guys we're so invested in are human beings. And not just characters in a live action game of Madden we're watching and betting on. 

That said, you have to love Anderson's attitude here. All in. All invested. Back to paying the price to not only getting his health back, but also his career. With the long term goal of winning Comeback Player of the Year. Two years ago, when he was with Denver, he played in 10 games and finished 52nd at his position in Pro Football Focus overall grade. Not Pro Bowl material perhaps. But at 28, his career could still be ascending. At the very least he has the makings of a starting tackle on this team that is still in need of one. And it's hard to imagine anyone hearing him tell his story and not rooting for him to win that CPOTY. Not just for him, but for a franchise and a fanbase that could really use a win. Godspeed, Calvin Anderson.