On September 10 th, 1999, Vincent Mark Magnotta, an Information Systems major, was having rugby practice at Susquehanna University in central Pennsylvania. Vince loved rugby; the team was working extra hard that day since the season would soon be starting. Rugby is a very physical game, requiring excellent conditioning. No problem for Vince though, since physical conditioning was somewhat of a religion for him. He had always been healthy; he had been doing weight training and cardiovascular workouts 4-5 times per week since he was in ninth grade. He loved working out-he would always do a combination of weight training and cardiovascular exercise. He liked the workout machines and he usually used the treadmill for cardio

After rugby practice this September day, his right ankle was swollen and sore. He went to the Health Unit on campus to see if he had sprained it. The nurses were very concerned that the swelling was not due to a sprain but was edema - a collection of lymphatic fluid in his legs. Possibly this symptom was somehow connected with the other seemingly disconnected symptoms Vince had shown since be began summer vacation.

Throughout the summer, Vince displayed a very broad spectrum of psychological symptoms . He also developed several seemingly disconnected physical symptoms in the following order of appearance: stomach acid reflux, prostidenia, high blood pressure, very low potassium blood levels, edema in both legs.

We brought Vince home from college on September 19th to get to the bottom of his health problems. On November 16th 1999, Vince died of cancer at the age of 20. This article is the story of the gifts Vince shared with us during his battle to defeat cancer; these gifts have been a source of inspiration for us and all of those who knew him. To share them with you, we need to tell the story of Vince's struggle beginning with his return home after his freshman year at Susquehanna University.