You won’t find men’s squash junior Thomas Mattsson without a bottle of Gatorade anymore.
That’s because the sports drink combats the tremendous pain caused by a cramp-inducing enzyme deficiency he first suffered from two years ago.
“Every muscle in your body seizes. If you’ve ever had a charley horse in the middle of the night, imagine your hands, neck, toes, legs, arms and back doing that for three or four hours,” Mattsson explained, describing the condition that cropped up after a match against Williams his freshman year.
“It drags on you to come down here [to practice] and be hurt for two hours and then go to school and still be hurting,” Mattsson said. “I really didn’t enjoy squash for about a year and a half.”
Worse still, no one knew why Mattsson was hurting so badly. After two hospitalizations for full body cramps and 20 doctor examinations, the only medical solution presented to him — a muscle biopsy to identify the exact enzyme deficiency — was itself a problem. Getting the biopsy would mean missing his entire junior season with rehab.
After sitting out two months of his sophomore season, the question of whether Mattsson would be able to play this year was unresolved when the season began in November. Although he has been diagnosed with an enzyme deficiency, the exact cause of Mattsson’s debilitating cramps remains unknown. Nonetheless, Mattsson had an answer.
He was going to play, even if he had to make sacrifices.
“I started changing my diet, what kinds of fluids I drink,” Mattsson said. “I stretch for an hour every morning and after every practice. I never mess around with coming to practice without bringing Gatorade or water.”
“I really take care of my body, and I think about it all day long,” he continued. “I canceled the muscle biopsy, and I’ve been playing ever since, pretty much painfree.”
So far, Mattsson’s focus on staying healthy and hydrated has allowed him to retain his number one spot on the ladder. He’s compiled a 3-6 record facing some of the best competition in the country, with five of those losses coming against players ranked in the top 10 nationally.
Having witnessed his determination, coach Jack Wyant is happy to have him in that position.
“He’s a gym rat,” Wyant said. “He comes here early most days, hits balls, stays late and really loves the game. More than anything else, I think he’s poised to have a great senior campaign.”
Moving forward, Mattsson will take away many lessons from his medical struggles.
“I’ve learned perseverance, as in waking at 6 a.m. to drive to New York City to see a doctor that may hold the key to seeing what’s wrong with me,” Mattsson said.
“People used to come to practice and say, ‘Oh, my ankle hurts, and I’d say, ‘Well, you’re playing anyway,’” he recalled. “Now, this is the first time I’ve been injured, and I know being injured is a huge hindrance and to take it cautiously.”
Caution is still what Thomas Mattsson is all about these days, however. Mattsson, who thinks about his body all the time, is often reminded why taking care of himself has become his top priority.
“I always keep myself hydrated, but when I wake up in the morning, I’m hurting with the same pain I had all of last year,” Mattsson said. “Sometimes I get down on myself with the fact that I’m going to eventually have to get the muscle biopsy and figure out what’s wrong with me.”
For now, though, Mattsson is taking care of business on and off the squash court. He’s even looking forward to being healthy and fulfilling the potential that Wyant sees in him next year.
“Next year will be my last year, so I have to give it everything I have,” he said.
But the man who has already given his all to squash still has one reservation.
“I wish Gatorades were cheaper,” he said.
