Fatigue, muscle weakness and shortness of breath are just a few of the symptoms Marcus Lewis experienced while being infected with necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating bacterial infection.
In no time at all, the infection caused his body to spiral into symptoms that caused organ failure and later sent him into a coma.
The infection put everything into perspective and pushed him to pursue his dream.
“When you go through what I went through, basically playing back and forth with life or death, you find your purpose,” Lewis said.
Now, after making a full recovery, Lewis is serving as a Study Hall Monitor at SHS, hoping to make a connection with the students.
In May 2025, Lewis started noticing the symptoms. He felt weaker, and his throat was sore. However, it wasn’t until his girlfriend heard him wheezing over the phone that they decided to go to the hospital.
When he arrived at the hospital, he learned that his organs were failing. He was admitted to the ICU, and shortly after, he had eight surgeries before falling into a coma.
“I was confused and obviously scared,” Lewis said. “We were celebrating Mother’s Day one moment, and then I wake up and it’s June.”
His recovery process was grueling. Lewis lost some of his vision, the ability to walk without assistance, and he had to quarantine for months.
Lewis was more confused than anything, but having his girlfriend and his family there pushed him to persevere during his recovery.
“The scary part was more ‘Am I going to get better?’ or ‘Is my life going to be the same?’” Lewis said. “It’s very tiring having to depend on people, and I was ready to be better.”
After his recovery, Lewis decided that his living situation in Chicago wasn’t working. He was struggling to find a new job and needed a fresh start. So he moved to Indiana and started looking for a job.
Lewis says the Study Hall Monitor position at SHS fell into his lap, and it was the first job that continued the interview process.
Once inside the building, he instantly felt at home. Lewis has always wanted to work with teenagers and felt that this was the first step in that direction.
“I knew instantly that this was where home was,” Lewis said. “Everyone welcomed me with open arms, and it doesn’t feel like work. It feels like me doing what I can for the community.”
During his interview, process, associate principal Eric Woodke noticed Lewis’ passion for giving back to the community.
Woodke says that even though he hasn’t been in the building for long, he can tell Lewis holds the potential to make a lasting influence.
“I don’t think he’s had time to make an impact,” Woodke said. “But he’s got passion and he’s going to build that bond. He’s going to do it in multiple ways.”
In his position, he’s already formed bonds with students in the building. Specifically, Lewis has provided support for sophomore Cody Crouch.
The two initially connected over football and have grown to the point where Lewis has been able to help Crouch academically.
“In a way, it feels like he cares,” Crouch said. “He helps me with assignments, and I look up to him. He’s always there for me.”
In the future, Lewis hopes to become a school counselor so that he can cater to students’ needs significantly.
He believes that all students need a positive role model in their lives, and he wants to be that figure for as many people as possible.
“Having young people look up to (me) means a lot,” Lewis said. “It means that I’m making a big impact, and it’s one of my goals to give back to the community and the youth as much as I can.”
