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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
Why Brutus the Buckeye is biking to beat cancer: BTN LiveBIG
Gabe Gemberling was on top of the world. Until he wasn’t. The Ohio State University graduate’s roller coaster ride took him from being on the field for some amazing Buckeyes football wins to a hospital bed, battling an aggressive form of cancer. And now it gives him the opportunity to give back in ways he never thought possible.
Gemberling saw perhaps the highest of highs during his time at Ohio State, crowd surfing over students during his time as Brutus the Buckeye mascot. And just like that, he felt the lows of getting diagnosed with cancer, turning his world upside down.
But from that came a lifelong friend, as well as an opportunity to give back – to the tune over more than $42,000 raised with the Pelotonia bike ride and the chance to help expand the hospital that treated him.
“It’s really comical, when you sit down and think about the ends connecting,” Gemberling says. “It’s a pretty odd story and I’m happy to share it with everyone. Hopefully someone will read my story and have more hope.”
OK, let’s start at the beginning, which was really just a few years ago. As a student at Ohio State, Gemberling had a chance meeting Jeremy Hitchens, who had already served as the Buckeyes mascot, Brutus. Both of their girlfriends – amazingly each named Lexi – were members of the cheerleading team. After much discussion, Hitchens encouraged Gemberling to try out for Brutus.
It was something Gemberling had always thought about doing, but never seriously considered. Growing up in Ohio, he had always been a Buckeyes fan. But to be the mascot? It didn’t seem like reality.
“I gave him some tips and tricks, tried to steer him in the right direction,” Hitchens says of the mascot tryout. Well, actually he did a little bit more than that. “I was on the board. In my unbiased opinion, he was the best candidate. I helped vote him on the team. The rest is history.”
That history took him on the aforementioned crowd surf – after a big win over Penn State – and a trip to the Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis.
“It was a surreal moment for a guy who grew up as an OSU fan,” Gemberling recalls. “I had autographs of Brutus when I was a kid.”
He was living the dream … until he started to feel a horrible pain in his shoulder. After going through some tests and an MRI, he found himself at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute. Or, as it’s known to patients and doctors, The James. That’s where he got the news: osteosarcoma, a malignant cancerous tumor that starts in the bone and is most commonly found among adolescents and young adults.
“It’s hard to describe still,” he says. “It’s weird. You know when you look out at the side of a mountain or the Grand Canyon, it’s hard for your eyes to process what you’re looking at? It was kind of like that. Kind of a blank stare. Absolute shock.
“I looked over at my mom and she starts crying. I looked at my girlfriend and she starts crying. I remember the water hitting the window from the rain outside. It felt like a music video.”
Surgery was scheduled. And then another. Doctors thought they would have to amputate his arm. Amazingly, they were able to avoid that extreme measure, but he did end up with about five inches of bone removed and a 12-inch plate down his arm. It was shredded: A detached pectoral muscle, biceps and shoulder, along with about 250 stitches.
“As Brutus, we would devote two hours [to visiting patients in the hospital] every Sunday,” he says. “I woke up in the same exact room as one of the patients I used to visit. It’s a tough pill to swallow. Not where I imagined I’d be at [age] 21.”
But Gemberling persevered. He went through physical therapy. He got his strength back. Last November, before the game against arch-rival Michigan, his cheer coach called him to the stadium. They showed him a video on the scoreboard of all his friends and family telling him they loved him.
“I turned around and my whole family was there,” he says. “All the doctors, nurses, everyone. I just lost my mind and started bawling my eyes out. My entire support system was in place. I still don’t think I deserve to have that support, but I’m so thankful for it.”
Entire article: https://btn.com/2019/10/27/why-brutus-the-buckeye-is-biking-to-beat-cancer-btn-livebig/
Gabe Gemberling was on top of the world. Until he wasn’t. The Ohio State University graduate’s roller coaster ride took him from being on the field for some amazing Buckeyes football wins to a hospital bed, battling an aggressive form of cancer. And now it gives him the opportunity to give back in ways he never thought possible.
Gemberling saw perhaps the highest of highs during his time at Ohio State, crowd surfing over students during his time as Brutus the Buckeye mascot. And just like that, he felt the lows of getting diagnosed with cancer, turning his world upside down.
But from that came a lifelong friend, as well as an opportunity to give back – to the tune over more than $42,000 raised with the Pelotonia bike ride and the chance to help expand the hospital that treated him.
“It’s really comical, when you sit down and think about the ends connecting,” Gemberling says. “It’s a pretty odd story and I’m happy to share it with everyone. Hopefully someone will read my story and have more hope.”
OK, let’s start at the beginning, which was really just a few years ago. As a student at Ohio State, Gemberling had a chance meeting Jeremy Hitchens, who had already served as the Buckeyes mascot, Brutus. Both of their girlfriends – amazingly each named Lexi – were members of the cheerleading team. After much discussion, Hitchens encouraged Gemberling to try out for Brutus.
It was something Gemberling had always thought about doing, but never seriously considered. Growing up in Ohio, he had always been a Buckeyes fan. But to be the mascot? It didn’t seem like reality.
“I gave him some tips and tricks, tried to steer him in the right direction,” Hitchens says of the mascot tryout. Well, actually he did a little bit more than that. “I was on the board. In my unbiased opinion, he was the best candidate. I helped vote him on the team. The rest is history.”
That history took him on the aforementioned crowd surf – after a big win over Penn State – and a trip to the Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis.
“It was a surreal moment for a guy who grew up as an OSU fan,” Gemberling recalls. “I had autographs of Brutus when I was a kid.”
He was living the dream … until he started to feel a horrible pain in his shoulder. After going through some tests and an MRI, he found himself at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute. Or, as it’s known to patients and doctors, The James. That’s where he got the news: osteosarcoma, a malignant cancerous tumor that starts in the bone and is most commonly found among adolescents and young adults.
“It’s hard to describe still,” he says. “It’s weird. You know when you look out at the side of a mountain or the Grand Canyon, it’s hard for your eyes to process what you’re looking at? It was kind of like that. Kind of a blank stare. Absolute shock.
“I looked over at my mom and she starts crying. I looked at my girlfriend and she starts crying. I remember the water hitting the window from the rain outside. It felt like a music video.”
Surgery was scheduled. And then another. Doctors thought they would have to amputate his arm. Amazingly, they were able to avoid that extreme measure, but he did end up with about five inches of bone removed and a 12-inch plate down his arm. It was shredded: A detached pectoral muscle, biceps and shoulder, along with about 250 stitches.
“As Brutus, we would devote two hours [to visiting patients in the hospital] every Sunday,” he says. “I woke up in the same exact room as one of the patients I used to visit. It’s a tough pill to swallow. Not where I imagined I’d be at [age] 21.”
But Gemberling persevered. He went through physical therapy. He got his strength back. Last November, before the game against arch-rival Michigan, his cheer coach called him to the stadium. They showed him a video on the scoreboard of all his friends and family telling him they loved him.
“I turned around and my whole family was there,” he says. “All the doctors, nurses, everyone. I just lost my mind and started bawling my eyes out. My entire support system was in place. I still don’t think I deserve to have that support, but I’m so thankful for it.”
Entire article: https://btn.com/2019/10/27/why-brutus-the-buckeye-is-biking-to-beat-cancer-btn-livebig/
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In what world is the most neutered looking cartoon cat I've ever seen that far on the left of that scale. That flag he's holding might as well be white.
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
That tweet made me wonder what Brutus' mother actually looks like......
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muffler dragon
Bien. Bien chiludo.
I believe this young man was the first Brutus I met in person at The Game.
https://myfox8.com/sports/greensbor...k-after-serving-as-ohio-states-iconic-brutus/
https://myfox8.com/sports/greensbor...k-after-serving-as-ohio-states-iconic-brutus/
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
NO. 1 OHIO STATE: BRUTUS BUCKEYE
You know him. You love him. He's Brutus Buckeye.
Let's set aside the fact that Brutus is both the perfect depiction of the state the school represents and the team name. He's totally original. He's not a warrior or bird or cat like countless other mascots, he's just a nut. He's the perfect combination of athletic and quirky, the guy who doesn't try to be popular because he just is popular.
Maybe it's because of Brutus that Michigan doesn't have a mascot. You can't take an L if you don't show up to the fight, amiright?
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