By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball
WILMINGTON, Ohio — Danny McCarty shouldn’t be alive. He was born 19 years ago and wasn’t expected to live long.
The recruiting coordinator and catching coach at Wilmington College suffered from a condition called Osteogenesis Imperfecta which has caused over 300 bones in his body to break because they are so fragile.
More commonly, his condition is called Brittle Bone Disease.
While he is only 3-feet-6 and 42 pounds and confined to a wheelchair, he packs a wallop as a coach with his knowledge of the game that he passes on to catchers. He also is a skilled recruiter and evaluator of talent for Wilmington Head Coach Tony Vittorio.
“When I was born, it was difficult for babies with this condition to live because they break a lot of bones and have a difficult time recovering.
“I was born with every bone in my extremity broken. My ribcage was also broken as I struggled to breathe on my own at birth. Doctors didn’t know if I was going to survive or not.
“I was intubated for the first few months of my life until I could breathe on my own.”
Intubation is when a healthcare worker inserts a tube through a person’s mouth or nose which then goes down into their trachea (airway/windpipe) so air can get through. The tube typically connects to a machine that delivers oxygen to the patient.
“I was in the hospital for about 3-4 months to begin my life. Then I was on and off in the hospital until I was three years old. I was susceptible to getting pneumonia, the flu or a cold. When I would get sick, I would start coughing. My ribcage bones were so fragile that they would break when I went into coughing spasms. That would cause my condition to deteriorate.
“It was a reoccurring cycle where I would get sick, begin coughing and break a few ribs. Then my body would be in so much pain that I had trouble breathing on my own. Then I would have to go to the hospital to get oxygen.
“When I got a little older, I was able to articulate to my parents what I physically was going through when bones broke. I have broken over 300 bones in my body in 19 years. Those are ones I count.
“I don’t really count thumbs, toes and those types of bones because I bump and break those all the time. Heck, I have a broken arm right now from a road trip we were just on. It is what it is.”
To read more of this story, purchase the March 11, 2022 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE. The rest of the article explains that he suffered for many years with broken bones and how he developed a passion for baseball and specifically coaching. Danny also shares some interesting stories as a coach and delves into his passion. . .coaching catchers.
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