Rare disease sidelines rising Blaine athlete, now on a mission to help other kids facing similar setbacks
Back in 2021, Avion Dent was a rising star athlete at Blaine High School in Minnesota.
"I just finished up track season, and went to state as a freshman, and was on my way to play varsity football and basketball as a sophomore," said Dent.
Then, in the summer heading into his sophomore year, while in training for the football season, he was suddenly sidelined.
"I kind of noticed that I had stomach pain," said Dent.
It was a pain so severe, he went immediately to the ICU at M Health Fairview Children's Masonic Hospital. He soon became the patient of Dr. Robin Williams, who at first was stumped by what was causing Dent's pain.
"It wasn't just one procedure that gave all the answers. It was slowly putting all the pieces together that we had in front of us to eventually get to his diagnosis," said Williams.
After about three months of trying to determine Dent's illness, Williams and her team diagnosed Dent with idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease (IMCD). It was the hospital's first and only confirmed case.
"It is incredibly rare, more rare than even the things we consider to be rare," said Williams.
IMCD causes a patient to have enlarged lymph nodes, painful inflammation and problems with organ functions. Dent was hospitalized for several months, losing his chance at a football career and his identity.
"When I couldn't do any of my sports anymore, I didn't really feel like myself," said Dent.
Through chemotherapy, Dent relied on friends and family who showed up in unexpected ways.
"They always told me to keep my head up in situations, and they kept me happy through it all, and my family as well," said Dent, through tears.
Treatment eventually allowed him to return to Blaine High School and graduate this spring. Now, he's in his first week at Concordia University in St. Paul, which was a moment that felt impossible at times.
"I just wanted to make my whole family proud. Not that many people in my family go to college, so it's great," said Dent.
He hopes to use the marketing degree he's studying for to lead to a new career in sports, where he can open a gym someday for student athletes who face similar setbacks.
"If those kids can have someone helping them that already went through it, then it can change their lives," said Dent.