GIBIS

"Baseball has been my entire life, from the time I could walk," Gibis said.

Earlier this month, Gibis, a catcher who made the varsity at Wauconda as a sophomore one year before his health issues turned his life upside down, took the first steps on the comeback trail.

"There were days going through this where I never thought it would end," said Gibis, whose entire treatment lasted 68 weeks.

After his junior year, Gibis was playing summer ball to get ready for his senior year when he started experiencing horrible back pain.

"It was definitely nothing I was expecting to hear," Gibis said.

Despite all of his health battles, Gibis was able to keep up with his studies and he graduated on time with the rest of the Class of 2017.

But when I walked up, the entire student body went crazy," Gibis said.

Besides caring friends and classmates at Wauconda, Gibis has had a strong inner circle support system that has included his brother, his parents Jan and Ryan and his girlfriend Gabby Fugle, a former Wauconda student who now plays volleyball at Harper College.

"I've had so much support through all of this," Gibis said.

Drain has worked with Gibis on everything from weight-lifting to conditioning to position work and hitting.

"In my first 2 at-bats, I got 2 hits," Gibis said with a laugh.

Gibis has certainly been on a ride, and he doesn't want to stop.