CHICAGO _ In the Northwestern Memorial Hospital room, there is one frequent sound.
From the speaker next to Aameer Sahi's bed, a voice dictates the play by play of a basketball broadcast in the dimly lit 14th-floor room. On Saturday, it was Iowa State versus Kansas State.
The most important games, which shouldn't be interrupted, of course, are DePaul's _ and often teeth-gritting losses by the Bulls. But any game serves its purpose to fill Sahi's day with some joy and memories of life before this room.
"I just love basketball," he said.
Sahi, a 20-year-old with a thick black beard and dark-rimmed glasses, was a student manager for the DePaul men's basketball team for two years. His hospital room is filled with telltale signs of his passion: A mini basketball hoop on the bathroom door, where he shoots while holding on to a walker to build strength. An encased white basketball signed by the members of the DePaul team on a desk under the TV. A pair of blue shoes signed by senior guard Max Strus, who wore them in Sahi's honor, kept in pristine condition in a box.
This has been Sahi's residence since Jan. 8. His wrenching journey has been a lesson in enduring pain, persisting with patience and finding gratitude in the darkest of moments.
Sahi is battling a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor, a form of sarcoma cancer for which he is receiving radiation while waiting for an infection to subside so he can begin chemotherapy. He has undergone multiple surgeries, including two to remove tumors in his pelvic cavity that caused excruciating pain.
"He doesn't complain," his father, Sonny, said. "He's very strong."
Aameer was diagnosed in childhood with neurofibromatosis type 1, a condition characterized by changes in skin pigmentation and the growth of tumors along nerves. He displayed no limitations during his youth, playing basketball and being as active as any kid his age.
He took his role as a DePaul student manager seriously when he arrived on campus, and he clearly left an imprint.
"Everyone in the program has a special place in their hearts for all the managers because of the work they do," coach Dave Leitao said. "Like most managers, he goes about his day-to-day with quiet humility and knows his job. But if you spend just 10 seconds around him, then you automatically see how much going to DePaul means to him."
At least once a week, someone from DePaul's athletic program _ including coaches, players and athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto _ visits him and talks hoops. Players tweet with the #SahiStrong hashtag.
"That's his No. 1 thing: hoops, hoops, hoops," said DePaul walk-on Pantelis Xidias, Sahi's best friend. "When I visit, he talks about NBA trades. He's a DePaul basketball fanatic."
Assistant coach Shane Heirman, who previously coached at Sahi's high school, La Lumiere in Indiana, recently brought his family stacks of French toast from Batter & Berries as Aameer tries to increase his appetite.
"They're trying to beef me up," Aameer joked.
Of the support his son has received, Sonny said, "These are the things positively helping him get out of this."
