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Ohio State football: Walk-on tackles testicular cancer
Saturday, December 8, 2007 3:33 AM
By Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Dan Potokar will start a chemotherapy program Monday.
Ohio State receiver Dan Potokar is exhibiting the same determination he showed on the football field in his fight against testicular cancer, his father said yesterday.
The sophomore walk-on, 20, is resting at his Grove City home after undergoing surgery Tuesday to remove a testicle, Ed Potokar said.
"He was just coming out of the operation and upon waking up, his first words were, 'We'll, step one is done,' " Ed said. "He knows what he's got in front of him, but mentally, he's an amazing kid."
OSU FOOTBALL
OSU receiver Potokar begins treatments for cancer
Saturday, December 08, 2007 Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus- A walk-on receiver fast enough to join teammates Chidmi Chekwa and Malcolm Jenkins on the 400-meter relay for Ohio State's track team, Dan Potokar also made himself known during 2007's spring football practice.
"He really started making some strides," Ohio State receivers coach Darrell Hazell said Friday. "I thought he had a chance to contribute."
But when preseason camp restarted in August, Potokar didn't feel like himself, and he never found the playing time he and his family were expecting. Thinking he might have mononucleosis, he never missed a practice but he never made it on the field during a game. On Nov. 27, more than a month after he began coughing up blood, the redshirt sophomore from Grove City, just south of Columbus, found out what was wrong.
Continued......
Anyone wishing to send cards to Potokar can mail them to Dan Potokar, 2861 Brookpark Circle, Grove City, OH, 43123. There is also a Internet message board available at carepages.com under the name Potokar.
Potokar turns corner in battle with cancer
Sunday, February 17, 2008
By Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Dan Potokar
Dan Potokar is relentlessly positive these days, and why not? The Ohio State receiver is beating testicular cancer into submission.
"I feel great about things," he said, and speaks of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
His mother, though thrilled Dan is doing well, has seen the dark side of this disease up close for the past three months.
She has a different tale to tell.
"Cancer (stinks)," Nannette Kinman said. "It's a nightmare."
She would know, having taken a lot of time off work to care for Dan in their Grove City home. She has seen the chemotherapy treatments first rob a strong, healthy 20-year-old of his weight (he lost 40 pounds off his 185-pound frame before he gained 10 back), then of his hair, and finally, of his optimism.
this is the lastest update:
March 03, 2008 at 11:02 PM EST
Hello Dan's Friends and Family,
I just got off the phone with Nannette and per her request after a grueling day, she asked me to post an update. The day started early with blood work and the much awaited CAT scan. On the way home, she was called and told to get Danny back to the doctors, because it seemed as if there was a mistake in the blood count results. Danny went back for more blood work, and unfortunately, the initial results were not a mistake. Danny's hemoglobin count was critically low. He had to go immediately to Mt Carmel East for a blood transfusion, and will return again tomorrow morning for 2 more pints of blood.
Once they finished there, Nannette, Ed, and Danny headed up to the James Cancer Center and met with a specialist to get another opinion on Danny's illness and treatment. The doctors at the James were in agreement with Dan's doctors and stated that the next step needs to be treatment and care from the experts at Indiana University. The doctors at the James will be on board with the doctors from IU and are committed to helping Danny beat this illness.
Danny's appointment for the IU consultation is March 20. So, he will take the results from the CAT scan, expected to be back this Wednesday, and hopefully a strong mental attitude, to IU in a few weeks. What they know of this treatment thus far, is that it is likely that Dan will be admitted to IU for 30 days of extensive high dosages of chemo. From there, it looks like it will be at least one year of treatments and monitoring; some of that can be handled out of the James, others will require trips back and forth to Indiana. I'm sure Nan will provide more concrete details about Dan's treatment at IU after the consultation.
Danny is obviously pretty wiped out, and the family is trying to wrap their minds around the information.
So, I am sure I speak for all of us when I say, NOOOOO!!! This is not the news we wanted to hear!
I am encouraged as I read through the postings how many of you are praying for Danny and his family and I know the family is humbled by your outpouring of support. I am thinking that it might be really helpful to see what resources we can line up to help get Danny through this next extended battle he is facing.
It would really benefit Danny if we could combine our strengths and our gifts to perhaps take on the following:
1. Organize, maintain, and participate in a cross-country on-going prayer chain.
2. Create and participate in fundraisers to help offset the travel expenses, and other unforeseen cost that are soon going to be haunting Dan's family. Many of you have already suggested to me that it is probably time to start some fundraising activities. I am not really sure how to go about doing this, but I am willing to learn. And I am willing to get advice or action from anybody else who is willing to help.
3. Create a local volunteer list of people who can contribute their talents, such as preparing meals, house chores, car maintenance issues, helping with the girl's errands, etc.
4. Create and manage a bank account of financial donations, that would be used to directly help fight this battle.
5. ETC.
If this is something you would like to be part of, or if you have any suggestios, please email me at [email protected]. I am Nannette's cousin, and have been helping her, along side of her family as best I can. I love this family so much, and really want to do whatever I can, along with your help, to ease some of this pain and suffering.
Take care everyone, and keep on praying that Danny is able to battle this mess and will soon enough be back filling our lives once again with that gorgeous smile and infectious laugh!
We love you Danny!!!!
Suzanne Thomas
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