Running for her life; Wilcox grad doesn't let illness, injury and grief stop her

Sitting in a quiet San Jose living room, Danielle Passanissi ties up her shoelaces. She leans forward and begins stretching to get ready to run her daily two miles. Running could be the one thing that keeps her from losing her ability to walk.

Passanissi, 18, underwent physical and emotional losses in her four years at Wilcox High School. She suffered injuries, illnesses, and lost her mentor. But now she has returned to a high level of strength, one she maintains with her daily run.

"Running to me, is being in touch with yourself, being in touch with the inner peace which you contain," she said. "Running to me is taking a break from everyday life, and setting myself into a free zone."

Soon after Passanissi began running track in 2000 at Wilcox High, she seriously injured her knee in a basketball game. Doctors told Passanissi, 15 at the time, that she wouldn't be able to have knee surgery until she was 18 and her knee had fully developed. After this injury, Danielle was devastated because she couldn't run for some time.

Photo by Rhiannon Wheeler.

Several months later, during her sophomore year, Passanissi developed a sinus infection, which was treated with amoxycillin, a penicillin derivative. She developed an allergic face rash, later diagnosed as infantigo, a skin disease, and began to feel weak. When she went to the hospital to have the skin disease treated, doctors discovered her kidneys and liver had shut down because of the allergic reaction. She was in the hospital for a week, receiving intravenous medication until she was healthy again.

"If it hadn't been for the infantigo, I wouldn't be here today," Passanissi said.

Although Passanissi suffered so many traumas in such a short time, she pushed herself to get back on her feet and run again. During the time she was unable to run, she realized how much she loved sports and how much she wanted to be able to run track. She felt that by running, she was removing herself from the adversity she faced.

"Running has always been my sanctuary. By running, I can take myself away from reality, and that's why I love it so much," she said.

But she couldn't do it alone. Mike Hazlett, a physical education teacher and coach at Wilcox High, inspired her to get better. He taught Passanissi to walk again, and helped her regain her strength through special stretches and exercises. Their dual goal was to get her back in shape for the track team. That dream seemed to crash when Hazlett died of cancer in February 2003, just weeks before the track season started.

"I always wanted to run so that I could win an award and take a picture with Mr. Hazlett," Passanissi said. "When Mr. Hazlett died, my dream sort of died as well. I don't think he ever knew how important he was to me, or to any of us."

Although she lost her mentor and source of inspiration, Passanissi regained her determination and decided to run again. Running, she said, would be a way to honor all the time and effort Hazlett had put into helping her rehabilitate.

Passanissi suffered so many traumas in such a short time, but she pushed herself to run again. Photo by Rhiannon Wheeler.

Even though there were people who pushed her to do better, there were those who also tried to put her down. People at school and even sometimes friends would tell her that she wouldn't be a track star again. More than anything, Passanissi wanted to prove them wrong.

"I'm the kind of person who cannot be told that I can't do something, if someone tries to put me down, I always try to prove them wrong."

Passanissi did indeed prove them wrong. Passanissi reached a personal best of 33 feet in the triple jump and took first at several meets. She also competed in sprints and the long jump.

Sara Vincent, 19, was a teammate of Passanissi's at Wilcox High and remembered her comeback.

"Danielle worked really hard, sometimes she would get on the track and just run to the point where she felt sick," Vincent said. "This was all because she is so determined to achieve her goals."

Passanissi, who graduated from Wilcox High in June, plans to have surgery on her knee as soon as possible. She also wants to study to become an emergency medical technician.

"I want to be able to help people, the same way that I was helped," she said. No matter what lies ahead of her, she said, "running is definitely a part of my future."