David Pitchko's fall from "crazy" young athlete into a man without a memory or words started slowly five years ago.
First, the former University of South Carolina wide receiver started making repetitive sales calls to the same customers for his uncle's company.
Then came the slurred words and the inappropriate behavior. His uncle Joe called his mom. Something was "wrong with Dave."
Doctor after doctor reviewed Pitchko's case, but it would be months before doctors determined that Pitchko was suffering from frontotemporal degeneration (FTD), a progressive neurological disorder that robs sufferers of their memories, words and, eventually, their lives.
Pitchko's battle ended at age 44 with his death on Dec. 3. He left behind parents, siblings, nieces and other family members, including some in Lexington.
Wednesday night, a memorial service in his honor will be held in New Jersey. Several former Gamecock teammates are expected to join Pitchko's friends and family in memorializing Pitchko. The service is scheduled to be streamed live online.
Following his diagnosis more than two years ago, Pitchko's condition worsened quickly, according to his twin brother, Mark. He lost the ability to speak a year ago. He lived the last two years of his life with his mom.
"Watching the decline was both awful, frustrating, and heart-breaking," Mark said in an email to Patch last week. "It was gradual to us since we saw him most everyday, but the worst thing was not being able to communicate with him. We would ask him questions and he couldn't answer. It was very hard.
"And it must have been hell for him not to be able to express himself and communicate his thoughts."
Especially hard for a young man described by many over the past two weeks as a "crazy" young man who "loved life." Pitchko was always doing wild things to make people laugh, his brother said. People loved being around him. He was a loyal friend and brother.
"We had different friends growing up, but we did a lot of stuff together," Mark recalls. "He was always a good athlete, and we played a lot of sports and games outside in the yard and street. Lots of tackle football!! It was neat having a twin, and a lot of people knew 'me' because of him."
Their connection was so strong that Mark also attended USC from 1990-1994 partly so he could watch his brother play football for the last two years of his career.
PITCHKO'S CAREER
David Pitchko had a very successful high school career, earning All-State honors in his senior year at Cherokee High School in Marlton, N.J., and being named to the New Jersey high school team of the decade.
He was wanted by many schools, including Penn State, where he attended football camp. But his grades weren't as good as his football skills, and many schools backed off, his brother said.
David Pitchko attended Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia following high school graduation to improve his grades. He started at wide receiver, and South Carolina kept up with him during his time there. Eventually, he committed to playing for the Gamecocks.
"He loved his time at South Carolina," Mark Pitchko said. "The fans were great and really gravitated to him. He was small, tough, went across the middle and showed no fear. He was the epitome of a 'Fighting Gamecock' and a real fan favorite."
Pitchko redshirted his freshman year in 1987, as the Gamecocks had two outstanding receivers already on the roster in Sterling Sharpe and Ryan Bethea. Set to start in 1988 following a strong spring game performance, Pitchko hurt his knee during the summer and tore his ACL and MCL.
He missed the entire 1988 season. In the meantime, USC coach Joe Morrison died from a heart attack. Sparky Woods was brought into coach following Morrison's death and according to Mark Pitchko, David was lost in the shuffle. Needing depth at receiver, Woods moved a freshman defensive back named Robert Brooks over to wideout. For the next three years, it was tough for Pitchko to get opportunities as Brooks' star shined. He caught 55 passes for three touchdowns.
"That injury really messed up his career at USC. He could have had a even better career than he did, but that's life," Mark said.
Over the years, Mark said his brother has kept up with some of his Gamecock teammates, including Bobby Fuller, Jay Killen, John Soaps, Carl Platt, Dickie Demasi, John Wonder and Joe Reeves. Even though Pitchko moved back to New Jersey in 1993, they are all expected at Wednesday night's services.
NO CURE, LITTLE TREATMENT
Like other neurological disorders (ALS, Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia), there is no cure for FTD.
But the toughest battle over the past few years has been finding a suitable home and care for the ailing Pitchko.
While doctors are learning more and more about brain disorders each year, experts in the field remain limited — as do agencies to care for such patients. He was young and strong, so long-term care facilities wouldn't take him for fear he could injure others.
The family has asked that, in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration.
"My Mom just felt hopeless that no one could help her and that she was on her own with this almost unbearable situation," Mark said. "Having to deal with the lawyers and getting power of attorney and being able to speak for him financially and whatever else was also frustrating."
Mark Pitchko said many people have asked if the disease has anything to do with David's football-playing career. He said the doctors don't think so. The symptoms are different from those suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy or other brain injuries that doctors believe are caused by repeated head trauma to professional football players, hockey players and boxers.
"It doesn't really change anything anyway why it happened," Mark said. "We just had to deal with what was happening. We would have no regrets that he played football. He loved it, and it created a lot of great memories for our family and the fans that watched him and cheered for him."
A LASTING LEGACY
While David Pitchko is certainly not the best-known or most-successful wide receiver to come out of the Gamecock program over the past 20 years, he certainly left his mark.
Mark said his brother always jumped right back up, even after a big hit, to make sure the defenders didn't know if they had hurt him. He said their junior year of high school was the last time he saw David fumble the ball.
Many commenters on USC chatrooms have talked about his toughness, how he wasn't scared to catch the ball between several defenders. Others have mentioned how he impacted their lives in one way or another.
One woman tells the story of her daughter, who was Pitchko's biggest fan during his USC days. She said they would meet before the game for a good-luck kiss. Mark Pitchko said after the game the girl, who used a wheelchair, would give him a hot dog and a Snickers bar.
"He was always very sweet to her and made her feel special," Mark Pitchko said. "She is a teacher now and has contacted me to say sorry."
These are the stories that Mark Pitchko said will live on and define his brother's legacy at USC and in this world.
He said "tons of people" have written to say how funny he was, or how nice he was, or how big his heart was.
"As far as legacy, I have a feeling the legacy he left is exactly what I would have wanted left about David and who he is," Mark Pitchko said. "He just out-worked everybody if he didn't have the natural ability.
"He was a good brother, good son, great Uncle too his nieces, and a good friend to all. That's why people loved him and will miss him."