Oak Lawn Teen Diagnosed with Rare Disease After Months of Mysterious Illness

The past year of high school senior Joe Maloney’s life seems like an episode of “House.”

Doctors struggled to diagnose what was causing his eyes to appear bloodshot, his blood pressure to spike, his heart rate to rise and his leg to move uncontrollably.

Since his first episode in May 2014, the Oak Lawn teenager has spent 58 days in the hospital within 21 admissions.

Maloney’s summer was sucked into a blur of hospital visits, tests, pain and anxiety. He missed 38 days of school at St. Rita of Cascia High School. An avid boxer, he wasn’t able to train or compete.

“I couldn’t drive, I couldn’t do anything, I couldn’t go out with friends or play sports or box,” Maloney said. “It was stressful, not knowing if they would find out what it was. They told me they didn’t know if they’d ever find out.”

He went to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota three times. He and his mom stayed in the Ronald McDonald house there, and he missed his dad and two younger sisters back home.

Maloney’s family started a gofundme page to raise money for medical expenses. Maloney said people from St. Rita helped him, local parishes put him on their prayer lists, and he received many emails from strangers, just wondering how he’s doing and lending him their support.

But about two weeks ago, Mayo Clinic doctors called Maloney with amazing news. Maloney said they diagnosed him with a rare disease called mast cell activation.

The diagnosis washed Maloney and his family in a wave of relief. They finally knew what was causing his episodes and how to prevent them.

The disease is treatable. Maloney has changed his diet — he can’t eat things like chocolate or fish or take Tylenol — but he hasn’t had an episode in about four weeks.

He’ll graduate on time, thanks to St. Rita teachers who stay after school to help him catch up. He started training again, with a goal to compete in the Chicago Golden Gloves boxing tournament, and he made it to the competition’s March 13 quarterfinals.

Maloney’s friend Brian Lukasik described him as “one of the toughest kids I know.”

Lukasik helps Maloney with cardio and strength and conditioning. He visited Maloney in the hospital, kept his spirits up and brought dinner to the family. Lukasik said the illness never really got Maloney down, and though Maloney was stressed, he always seemed calm.

“When he steps in the boxing ring, he’s tough and nails and no one is going to stop him,” Lukasik said. “I told him, ‘If you can get in a ring and fight a guy, then you can handle this.’”

Maloney plans to attend Moraine Valley Community College for his freshman year, so doctors can keep an eye on him. He’ll continue boxing, and he wants to transfer to St. Joseph’s College in Indiana.

He’s able to drive again. He can train, hang out with friends and be a teenager without worrying about having an episode.

“It just felt good to find out what it really was, and we felt better knowing they could treat it,” Maloney said.

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