Sophomore Zach Camp doesn’t worry about what place the marching band finishes in during competition season. He is just happy he is able to be a part of the show. While to many, Camp is just one of the 22 trumpet players marching each week, to assistant director Shawn McNabb, he’s much more.

“He has been a tremendous inspiration,” McNabb said of his sophomore trumpet player. “He just goes. He gets up and leans forward and just goes.

“His heart, his desire, his will, his body. When most kids would give up, he just pushes forward.”

In many ways, Camps is a medical wonder. He began getting ill during last year’s marching season and has battled health problems ever since.

“Last year it was just like a consistent stomach flu,” Camp said.

That feeling has been with Camp for a year and it culminated last weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium when he passed out in the back hallways waiting for the band to perform in the Bands of America Super Regional.

“It was very scary,” McNabb said. “He is flat on his back, his pupils are fixed and dilated and he was saying he was numb from the neck down.

“We were so blessed that Ted Moore (one of our band parents) was working the contest that weekend as medical personnel. I was able to get him on the phone and he was right there.”

Camp’s medical issues are constantly on his mind. He has been to the doctor more than 10 times this past month and despite all the tests, doctors still are not sure what is affecting Camp.

“It is a mixture of abdominal pain with pain in my chest,” Camp said. “I have had several EKGs done and they are always running tests on me. It just feels like a big charlie horse in my stomach with a stabbing pain in my chest.”

Despite the pain, Camp carries on.

“I am definitely very blessed to have this band program,” Camp said. “It has been a giant struggle for me and I have missed a lot of practice time with doctor appointments, but the band directors are extremely supportive and this program keeps me moving.”

Camp has played the trumpet for the past four years. He has been in the marching band for two seasons and cannot imagine high school without band.

“I feel if I am not at band I cannot be a role model to others,” Camp said. “I want to be there all the time so I can be supportive of my band mates. I am always looking to give back to the band because the band has given so much to me.”

That was never more evident then last weekend when Camp hyper-ventilated in the hallways inside Lucas Oil.

“If I ever have to sit out a rep or a practice to ease my pain, the directors understand and are there to help me,” Camp said.

So when the band takes the field this weekend for their final marching performance of the season at Grand Nationals, look for Camp to have one of the biggest smiles on the field.

“I just want to be a part of something special,” Camp said. “To me, that’s band.”