Rosenfels galvanized by sister's tragedy

PHOENIX, Ariz. ? Back in the bad old days, back when Iowa State would lose game after game, quarterback Sage Rosenfels would wonder if things could get any worse.

      Then he?d think about his sister, Jaia, and realize that yes, they certainly could.

      Jaia Rosenfels was active and athletic, just like her younger brother, who?ll lead Iowa State against Pittsburgh in the Insight.com Bowl on Thursday night.

      She ran track and cross country in high school, played basketball and sang in the chorus. Now she can?t walk without help and suffers from double vision, the result of a traumatic brain injury suffered in a traffic accident her sophomore year in college.

      ?She gives me this perspective that you have to make the most of every moment, make the most of every opportunity,? Rosenfels said, ?because you never know when you?re no longer going to be able to do something.?

      His sister?s life changed in March of 1992 when Sage was a sophomore and Jaia, pronounced Jye-uh, was home in Maquoketa, Iowa, on break from Wellesley College. Her car skidded on a bridge, turned sideways and a truck rammed into her.

      Jaia was in a coma for a month, then endured a long rehabilitation in the hospital and at home. But she battled back. She resumed her studies and graduated from Wellesley, an elite school in Massachusetts, then earned a master?s degree from the University of Illinois.

      ?She talks well and thinks pretty well, but she can?t do a lot of the physical things the rest of us can do,? Rosenfels said. ?She?s been through a lot. She?s been an inspiration to my whole family.?

      Jaia, 29, is in Phoenix for the game along with Rosenfels? other siblings ? Jaffa, Jeremiah and Sasha ? and his wife, Maria.

      They?ll see a game that will culminate a remarkable journey for Rosenfels, once a fourth-string quarterback on a losing team. In 1997, the Cyclones were 1-10.

      ?Not only were we getting beat by teams, we were getting blown out by a lot of teams,? he said. ?It was a very difficult season, but that season is maybe why this season is so great because guys really stuck to the plan and that makes it even more special.?

      Iowa State went 3-8 in 1998 and finished 4-7 last season, losing four games by 17 total points. That gave the Cyclones hope. And the program earned its first bowl bid in 22 years.

      And Jaia was on his mind the whole way, reminding Rosenfels that if she could win in her battles, he certainly could, too.