For many top level NBA prospects, tonight's draft will be the start of an amazing journey. For one former Baylor standout, however, that journey will never get under way.

20-year-old Isaiah Austin is no stranger to facing struggles. He has overcome being legally blind in his right eye, after an injury in his early teens, to play at some of the highest levels in the game. This past season, he led his Baylor team to an unlikely sweet sixteen run, until they fell to eventual runner up Wisconsin.

Unfortunately, that sweet sixteen game will be his final competitive one. The once highly touted, 7-foot-1 big man received a crushing diagnosis, earlier this week. While getting the results of his league mandated physical, Austin was informed that he suffers from a genetic disorder known as Marfan syndrome.

A disease that affects only 1 in 5,000 people, Marfan syndrome affects the body's connective tissue and can become life threatening. That of course has completely derailed Austin's career and really changed the outlook of the draft for some teams.

On the positive side, Austin has seemed to accept his saddening diagnosis and seems determined to move on with his life the best way he can. He's a guy who's been tested before and from previous showings is clearly up to an challenge thrown his way.

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