A Spunky Student With A Debilitating Disease by Nick Valensi
Nikolai Fraiture is something special. He attends college full time, works two jobs, helps raise his 7-year-old sister, and plays bass guitar in a rock band. He has an indomitable spirit that he says is helping him to cope with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, a debilitating disease which he contracted while vacationing in New Orleans several months ago. Because of this malady, he says he has had to put in an extra effort, not only for his education, but also for his work, music, and family.
The virus is transmitted through the bite of a tick. It is noninfectious, and is similar to lyme disease, only its implications are not life-long. Among the many symptoms are fatigue, confusion, fever, and disorientation, says Dr. Richard Belle, a general physician with a private practice in Manhattan.
"I'm worried about myself, you know," Fraiture said in an interview early in the semester. He was smoking a cigarette while sitting on the steps of Thomas Hunter Hall. He is tall and thin, yet muscular. "I know that I'm going to have to be really on top of things and, like, work extra hard if I want to keep my average up this semester."
Fraiture, 20, said that he felt drained. "I feel weak, man," he said, "and it's like things don't easily make sense anymore ... I feel so weird."
According to a doctor's orders, Nikolai Fraiture should be bedridden, yet, every morning he says he goes to class. Although he has terminated his employment at a day care center where he supervised small children, he continues to work two other jobs. He is employed at a video rental shop on the corner of his block, and walks the dogs of various residents of his York Avenue neighborhood.
|
|
"I want to get better," Fraiture said, "but the medication I'm taking ... it seems like it has zero effect. I'm not going to put my whole life on hold because of this."
He said he realized that his decision to continue to be active could extend the duration of the illness, but his ambition and work ethic compel him to take the risk.
One person who would love nothing more than to witness him recover rapidly is his mother, Elaine Fraiture. She is French, and during a phone interview she spoke of imploring her son to just "take it easy and relax. This is serious, what Nikolai has, and if he doesn't just stop everything right now, he'll kill himself, God forbid."
|
"You cannot know what a mother feels when she sees her child so sick, and he won't help himself to get better," she said.
Another individual who hopes that he heals speedily is Julian Casablancas, the singer in the band for which Fraiture plays bass. The two have been best friends since elementary school. Although Fraiture continues to attend band rehearsals as often as possible, the group - The Strokes - has had to cancel booked shows at various New York City establishments due to his poor health.
"It sucks, but we all understand, though," Casablancas said of Fraiture's absences. "We know he's really sick, and the only thing to do is to tough it out, and wait for him to get better.
**This is an essay that was written by Nick about Nikolai when they attended school together.**
|
|
|
