Photo of Cael Long taken by James Hill. Graphic designed by Sydnee Washington.
James Hill|Instagram
Junior Cael Long finished the swim season, earning an All-Conference nod as the Marlins finished sixth in the ODAC championship meet.
Long has had a successful career so far with the Marlins, as he currently holds the men’s team records in multiple events with aspirations of qualifying for the NCAA Division III Nationals in his best events.
It has not been an easy process for Long to have earned such a decorated career as the swimmer faces challenges that most athletes could never endure.
“I was formally diagnosed with a rare form of nocturnal epilepsy when I was two years old, and I am also on the Autism Spectrum. I spent a lot of time in children’s hospitals, but nothing ever worked with any of the anti-seizure medicines,” Long said.
Against all odds, Long continues to prove why he is one of the best in the ODAC.
“I had another seizure in my sleep this year at ODACs the night before my best event, the 100 butterfly. I felt very sick with severe pain in my joints and muscles and migraine symptoms,” Long said.
Despite all of the obstacles, Long made the A finals and placed fifth overall.
Every day is a process for Long that needs to be taken carefully to be in a position to succeed while also staying healthy.
“I have to be very careful with my diet and sleep schedule. It is extremely challenging to travel to big swim meets and stay overnight,” Long said.
These challenges also affect Long’s social life outside of swimming.
“I cannot stay in the dorms on campus due to my epilepsy and it has been very hard to fit in and make friends. I have severe short-term memory issues related to my epilepsy,” Long said.
Long is an inspiration to other younger athletes who have been diagnosed with epilepsy as he continues to defy the odds.
These challenges helped spark an interest for Long after college as he plans to pursue a career as a recreational therapist, who plans programming for people with disabilities.
“Spending time at the Epilepsy Camp for kids on Lake Erie doing recreational therapy-type activities was the only thing that made a difference in my life socially and mentally which led to me choosing recreational therapy as my major,” Long said.
Long expressed his gratitude towards the Disability Office and Learning Center for helping him through daily tasks.
“They support VWU students with disabilities every day and have helped me so much with accommodations,” Long said.
While most athletes who have epilepsy are advised to stay on the safe side and avoid activities that can potentially lead to overexertion, Marlin’s swimmer Cael Long has proven statistics wrong while emerging as an elite swimmer at the collegiate level.
By: Coy Camiscioli
clcamiscioli@vwu.edu