A FAMILIAR FACE has returned to Uni from an absence of almost two months.

English teacher Adele Suslick is back in the classroom after recovering from a serious case of appendicitis.

Her condition was so severe that she spent four days in the hospital and was gone from Sept. 25 to Nov. 19.

Suslick has taught at Uni since 1979. During that time she has experienced medical emergencies, such as when she needed her gall bladder removed about 20 years ago. But this case was unusual both in its severity and in the roundabout way she finally received a correct diagnosis.

In September, before she discovered she had appendicitis, Suslick felt significant back pain and went to the Carle Wellness Clinic on a Saturday to be X-rayed. She was diagnosed with an obstructed bowel and was advised by the doctor to drink lots of water and to walk as much as possible to avoid surgery.

“I did what he suggested and experienced so much relief that I did not go to the emergency room,” said Suslick. “Instead, I continued to teach and scheduled an appointment with my internist who, subsequently, ordered a battery of X-rays. An upper GI X-ray revealed no abnormalities.”

However, the pain soon returned, and she regularly consumed the maximum dosage of extra-strength Tylenol to get through her classes.

“I was white as a ghost and perspiring heavily,” said Suslick.

On Sept. 25, she was rushed to the emergency room at 7 a.m., and doctors discovered that she had a ruptured appendix with the infection beginning to set in. Luckily it was not too late, and the doctors were able to remove her appendix and save her life.

During her absence three different substitutes handled her classes, including former Uni teacher Rosemary Laughlin, who came out of retirement to teach Asian-American Literature, a junior-senior elective. Other substitutes taught Suslick's freshman English course.

Despite her condition, Suslick continued to work while on leave, mailing more than 25 letters of recommendation for seniors applying to college, grading a set of freshman research papers, preparing several lectures for her freshman English class, and working on a new course that she will be teaching this spring, The Hero's Journey.

As well, two weeks after she returned home, several students in the afterschool Global Studies Initiative program that she sponsors came to her house to prepare a PowerPoint presentation about the Dominican Republic for a conference at Bradley University.

"That's not surprising to me," said journalism teacher David Porreca. "Given how active Del is and how dedicated she is to her classes and to GSI, I figured that as soon as she felt better she would plunge right back into the thick of things."

It was Suslick's dedication to the school above and beyond her required duties that earned her the 2007 Colin E. Thorn Award from the Parent-Faculty Organization last spring. The Thorn Award is the highest honor Uni gives to nonstudents for voluntary service to the school.

"If anything, she's come back with more energy than ever," Porreca said. "It's inspiring to see her on the go again. When I think of Uni, I think of people like Del and [history teacher] Chris Butler, people who've been here for almost 30 years and have made their imprint. It's great to have her back."