I wish to go to a University of Texas football game.
Greg
14
lymphoma
Wish Alumni Then & Now Feature - Greg
Greg holding Mack Brown's Heisman Trophy on his wish trip.
At the time it was early Fall and I was gearing up for my middle school basketball tryouts. I loved sports as a kid and would try out for any team I had time for. After breaking my wrist and missing most of the football season, I was eager to get on the basketball court and get back into the swing of things.
I didn't think anything of it at the time, but those tryouts were especially hard for me. I was constantly out of breath in a way I wasn't used to but chalked it up to being out of shape from the broken arm. Yet, a few weeks later in early December, the problem was still there. I was playing in a lacrosse tournament with friends and still ran into issues with my breathing. This time though, a new symptom followed a few days after. I woke up one morning and noticed a small lump in my neck. It wasn't big enough for me to say anything at the time, so I wore collared shirts for a few days to try and hide it. But soon enough it had grown to the point where I couldn't hide it any longer.
I was super lucky that when we brought these symptoms to my pediatrician, he was able to quickly understand the situation. He acted fast but did it in a way that never scared me or my family and I'm very thankful for that. After a few scans and tests, I was eventually diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Thanks to such a fast response from my pediatrician and the local physicians at Duke, I was able to get started with treatment that same December. The treatment from then on was a mix of chemotherapy and radiation over the next 8 months. Throughout this treatment, I had a rock-solid foundation of support from my family and friends. The sacrifices and help they provided is something I look back on and appreciate to this day. Towards the end of treatment, I was even able to return to some of my lacrosse and football training. Being able to be with my friends again like that was a much needed return to normalcy. The treatment wasn't over but it felt like a weight was lifted off my back.
I had finished treatment that summer and was working hard to get ready in preparation for the football season and my freshman year of high school. I was still missing some hair but I was happy to have things feel regular again. During that football season, Make-A-Wish reached out to me and my family. There were so many possibilities of what to do that but in the end we decided on going to a Texas football game in Austin.
Both my sister and I were born in Austin and our parents graduated from the university. We were super excited to go to the game and see the city again. And to be honest, that's all we were expecting at the beginning. But everyone involved with my wish went so above and beyond that it evolved to be something much bigger.
It started off with me meeting the coach, Mack Brown. Coach Brown showed me and my family unbelievable hospitality as he led us around the facilities. He gave us the full tour and his undivided attention which has to be rare for a coach like him with a big game the next day. He even let me hold a Heisman trophy in his office. They're a lot heavier than they look and they already looked heavy to begin with. After that we were also invited to the pre-game team dinner where we got to meet the players. They were all incredibly kind and I'll never forget that experience of being treated so warmly by everyone in the organization. On the next day, we arrived early to the game and were even let on the field to see the warm-ups up close. We also got to see the mascot Bevo in person as they set up his pen for the game. The final cherry on top was watching Texas win big in a convincing fashion, outmatching a conference rival.
This trip was a once in a lifetime experience, and it was made all the more special by each and every person who went the extra mile for us. My experience with Lymphoma was scary and overwhelming at the time, but I was able to get through it with the support of my family, friends, and the surrounding community. I will always be thankful that so many people took the time out to help me.
