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Libertyville’s Kuceyeski faces toughest fight
Squamos-cell carcinoma is one of the most common cancers and can occur in the skin, mouth, throat, and lungs, among other places. While more common in smokers or users of chewing tobacco, Libertyville football coach Randy Kuceyeski is neither.
Cancer was found in his right lymph node and the back of his tongue, but tests for cancerous cells in other areas of his neck, throat, mouth, and lungs came back negative.
Kuceyeski began chemotherapy last Friday and was at Libertyville’s youth camp this week with his chemo “fanny pack” to finish out the first round of treatment. After six weeks of chemotherapy, he will begin five-day radiation and chemotherapy treatments at the University of Chicago Hospital, followed by nine days of recovery time at home.
“I’m going to check into the University of Chicago Hospital at the end of July: five days of treatment in, nine days out, five days in, etc., for 10 weeks. So it’s a 16-week treatment program.”
“I’m going to do as much as I can during summer camp and play the season one day at a time. I’m going to give it my best shot. Will I be there every single day? Probably not, but I plan on doing as much as possible. If I’m not at practice, I’ll be breaking film down at home.”
“This was going to be my last year anyway. Unfortunately, this put a curve in my retirement plan. It’s not the activity level I would have liked for my final season, but some things are out of your control.”
“The kids have responded well. The participation has been outstanding as far as workouts. This has been sort of a rallying point for them.”
“I’ll be ready for the playoffs.”
Kuceyeski and his daughter are providing periodic updates on his treatment/progress at www.caringbridge.org/visit/randykuceyeski/journal/1.
Obviously, this is not a game.
This is real life.
Libertyville football coach Randy Kuceyeski isn’t trying to beat the coach of the team on the other side of the field. He’s trying to beat cancer.
It was in May that the popular coach realized something might be wrong.
“I noticed my right lymph node was swollen, so I went to my doctors. It was biopsied and it came back positive (for squamous-cell carcinoma),” he said.
Last Friday, Kuceyeski began chemotherapy,
This week, he was running his annual youth football camp for about 70 players at Butler Lake Park in Libertyville.
While at camp, he carried around his chemo “fanny pack” to finish out the first round of treatment.
After six weeks of chemotherapy, he will begin five-day radiation and chemotherapy treatments scheduled for Sunday nights through Friday afternoons at the University of Chicago Hospital, followed by nine days of recovery time at home.
“My goal was to make it all three days of camp,” he said.
He also has a goal for his final Libertyville football team.
He’s retiring at the end of the coming school year, and would love to go out with a 14th appearance in the IHSA playoffs.
“We’re going to have some nice players,” he said, mentioning, among others, 6-foot-5 linebacker Luke Mathewson, Mike Parker, Steve Skul (sounds like “school”), and defensive back A.J. Schmidt.
“(Summer high-school) camp starts next Tuesday and runs to the 28th, then we’re off for 10 days, so I’ll be checking into the hospital right around the time we’re finishing camp up,” he said.
As for delegating coaching responsibilities when he’s not able to be around, the coach said there will be no problems in that regard.
“Every single guy on the staff is going to pick up some extra work. We’ve been together so long it’s almost automatic for us anyway. They’re doing a great job. Everyone realizes the circumstances, and we’re going to try to make the best of it.”
The best of it, in this case, would be Kuceyeski being declared cancer-free the same day the Wildcats win a second- or third-round playoff game.
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