First, I reminded them that I am living proof that in spite of doing all of the right things; in spite of eating right, exercising, and always trying to make the right choices; crap happens. And when it does, the first choice you have is to make is whether to sit on the couch and feel sorry for yourself, asking all of the “why me” questions….. or address the problem and move on.

Point number two… treatment can work. For all of the terrible stories you hear of death and loss, there are even more examples of survivorship. I drove the point home that we are winning this war and that all of the research and advancements that have been made in cancer research is working. My doctor called me a “responder” early on in my treatment because I reacted so well to what many people refer to as poison – chemotherapy.

And lastly, I reminded them that they were there to play a sport that they loved. And the beauty of the weekend was that they were able to play a game, while raising huge dollars for a very worthy blood cancer cause. I pleaded with them to never lose track of that concept. I told them that they had all been given a special gift in that they were being given the chance to do something that they loved, while making a difference in the lives of others. I told them that I hoped that whatever their passions end up being 5, 10, or 50 years from now, that they will always try to find a way to unite their passions with ways to give back – some how, some way.

I was recently invited to be a part of a very special weekend and fundraising event. Nick Colleluori graduated from Ridley High School in June 2004 as a three-sport athlete and joined the Hofstra Pride Lacrosse team the next fall. With hard work and determination, Nick earned a role on the Hofstra team the spring of his freshman year.

Nick was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in September, which started a brutal fourteen month battle with cancer. Although Nick battled with all his will and might, he lost his battle to cancer on November 28th, 2006. During his illness, Nick not only battled cancer physically, but also mentally. Nick reached out to others with the same illness and counseled them to help them have the same positive outlook that Nick always possessed. In Nick’s own way, he also counseled his family, friends and teammates to help the through this extremely difficult time. He was truly an inspiration to all who knew him. It was Nick’s idea to begin the HEADstrong Foundation, to help those who have been diagnosed with blood cancers, as well as put an end to this horrible disease.

To honor Nick and those affected by blood cancer, each year the HEADstrong Foundation hosts this lacrosse tournament at Ridley High School with the hope of building a team of champions to combat blood cancer. All proceeds will go towards blood cancer research. Each participating team will sell t-shirts on their campus to raise funds and awareness of this disease. Division 1 teams will play 2 regulation games and Division III teams will play 2 one-hour games.

To make the weekend a little more meaningful, HEADstrong has combined forces with our local Leukemia & Lymphoma chapter to partner each participating school with a local blood cancer survivor “hero” to provide additional motivation and inspiration for each team. I have been “adopted” by the University of Maryland and I will be with my team as they take the field for competition this weekend.

To learn more about Nick and the HEADstrong Foundation Mission, please visit www.HEADstrongfoundation.org.