Stai pledged to make 2022 “the complete opposite” of 2021, and rightfully so. He was at the pinnacle of his collegiate career last year, but that was before everything came crumbling down.
“If you’d told me two years ago that I’d be in the hospital twice in a matter of six months for two things that were out of my control, I wouldn’t believe you,” Stai said.
August 2021
It was the last day of Ohio’s fall camp. Stai knew he’d feel fatigued after a long week of practice, but not enough to make him feel out of breath when walking up the stairs. He had spent the whole summer conditioning for the season, so he shouldn’t have been tired.
The next day was the hottest day of the summer. Stai sat out of practice because he felt dehydrated.
“The last thing I remember from that day was my teammate looking at me, and I looked at him,” Stai said. “He said I looked like I’d seen a ghost.”
Stai passed out and was taken to the training room. There, he discovered that his heart rate was 20 beats per minute, which is well below average. The training staff took Stai to the emergency room, where they initially thought he had COVID-19, but that wasn’t the case. Stai was diagnosed with Lyme carditis.
Lyme carditis occurs when lyme disease bacteria enters the tissues of the heart, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It affects the beating of the heart.
After his diagnosis, Stai was sent to Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, where he stayed in the intensive care unit.
“It’s not something you would expect as a 21, 22-year-old, being in the ICU as long as I was in this situation,” Stai said. “It was kind of an interesting experience.”
Stai was one of the few patients awake in the ICU during his stay. He spent his days chatting with the staff and got to meet a lot of new faces. Stai’s parents were also with him during that time. They were the only ones who truly knew what was happening.
The redshirt senior stayed active on Twitter during his days in the ICU, partially to let his team know he was fine and partially to keep his parents from seeing how the stay affected his mental health.
“I knew I couldn’t be upset because nobody wants to see their mom cry,” Stai said. “I really tried to go out of my way to show her I was OK, you know, everything was going to be fine when I didn’t know if it would be or not.”
For everyone asking, I am doing great here at Riverside hospital! The love I’m receiving from my teammates, coaches, and staff reminds me of why I chose OHIO! Gotta remain positive and get back to the field ASAP💪🏼 #RollBobbies #BeACoffeeBean
— Bryce Stai 🐺 (@StaiBryce) August 13, 2021
Stai found the silver lining in his illness. He’d been hit by 300-pound men before, so a little tick wasn’t the end of his world. He did lunges while hooked up to his antibiotics.
After eight days in the ICU, Stai was released on Aug. 21.
September - December 2021
Stai returned to play protocols in September. He spent three weeks in recovery and was invited to travel with Ohio to Louisiana-Lafayette for its third game of the 2021 season. Ohio was down its long snapper before the trip, so Stai was there in case it needed a backup. There was no guarantee that he would play, and he didn’t.
Stai made his 2021 debut on Sept. 25 against Northwestern. It was a huge step for him because he was finally back on the field. However, Stai wasn’t an active player for long.
“Unfortunately, after I believe six games, I ended up tearing my entire shoulder,” Stai said. “I was back in the hospital, which is crazy,”
However, another silver lining came before Stai underwent surgery for his torn labrum. He received his undergraduate degree in sports management.
Congrats @StaiBryce 👨🏻🎓 @OhioFootball pic.twitter.com/7pkBLXrRZz
— De'Angelo Smith (@DLO614) December 11, 2021
Stai’s family came to Athens from Nebraska to celebrate his accomplishment. He completed his degree in 3 ½ years despite struggling with his health.
A week later, Stai was in surgery.
Early 2022
Stai’s recovery wasn’t easy this time. He had more hoops to jump through, and his mental health teetered. He tried to pick up old hobbies, such as reading and music, to fill his time. Stai also narrowed his focus on academics and found that he got the best GPA of his career during his recovery.
However, football stayed in the back of his mind.
“I think my mental (recovery) was the bigger (recovery) because I never thought I was going to be able to play football again because of how long that recovery process was because the shoulder is not a basic injury,” Stai said. “It takes a long time.”
Stai spent hours with the Ohio trainers to ensure he was on track to recover. He wanted to make it to spring football and come out on the other side healthy, both mentally and physically.
October 2022
Stai is in the midst of his last season as a Bobcat, and he’s taking it all in. He’s played in a handful of games this season, and he’s thankful for every moment, whether he goes out on special teams or gets the chance to be on defense.
“There’s only so many more chances I’ll get to step on that field and call myself a Bobcat,” Stai said.
Stai wants to leave no stone unturned. He wants to make his last season the best he can.
“The biggest thing for me is I wanted to make sure that I had no regrets this year… and I feel like to this point, I’ve done everything I could,” Stai said.