Nazareth Area High School star Chuck Dibilio begins life after stroke, hospital stay

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

Early Wednesday morning, Chuck Dibilio Sr. drove down to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia with the intention of spending another day with his son, Chuck, who had been in the hospital since suffering a stroke late last Thursday.

Instead of sitting by his son's bedside as the hours crept by, Dibilio Sr. was able to pack up the car and take Chuck home, being officially discharged around 3 p.m.

"We weren't sure if he was going to get released today," Dibilio Sr. said. "It's a big relief, just wonderful to have him back home. He was ecstatic to be coming home. He couldn't wait to come home after everything the kid's been through.

"On the ride home he said something like, 'Dad, I just can't wait to get home.' He went through a lot the last couple of days and it's good to see him finally crack a smile."

Dibilio, a record-setting running back at Nazareth Area High School and Princeton University, was with a study group last Thursday and began feeling numb in his arm and slurring his speech.

After a 911 call, he was rushed to Princeton University Medical Center then flown to Philadelphia, where he stayed until Wednesday afternoon.

Dibilio Sr. said his son, the 2011 Ivy League Rookie of the Year, underwent a procedure to have a blood clot removed from the main artery in his brain on Friday morning.

Even though the cause of the stroke has yet to be determined, Dibilio Sr. said Chuck has begun taking a blood thinner to prevent further clotting.

"The neurosurgeon said he'd be on Aspirin the rest of his life," Dibilio Sr. said. "It's good he's not on a big dose of blood thinners like Coumadin the rest of his life because if he goes on that, he won't be able to play anymore contact sports. With Aspirin, he can play sports again. He has to take one a day."

Along with the daily Aspirin dose, Dibilio, the 2010 Express-Times Football Player of the Year, will undergo speech therapy.

Dibilio Sr. confirmed his son has his initial session at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Center on Friday.

Earlier this week, Dibilio Sr. said the family was hoping Chuck would be able to recover in time for the spring semester of his freshman year at Princeton, which begins Feb. 6.

On Wednesday, Dibilio Sr. said they're still unsure if Chuck will return to school this year.

"He'll be home for a good couple of weeks before we decide," Dibilio Sr. said. "It will be a family decision."

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/01/nazareth_area_high_school_star.html