Dan was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) on March 21, 1998, while an eighth grader. A St. Paul native, Dan started chemotherapy right away and was transferred to the University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital, Fairview for a bone marrow transplant. His older sister, Heather, was a perfect match!
By supporting the University of Minnesota’s Stem Cell Biology Program, Children’s Cancer Research Fund is enabling University researchers to continue their pioneering efforts in blood and marrow transplantation (BMT). This support allows researchers to expand their BMT studies to further develop novel approaches for treating pediatric cancer patients like Dan who require marrow transplantation.
Dan spent three months in the hospital and, like most patients, did not enjoy the experience. He disliked the confinement of his small hospital room, the menu and television programming available in the hospital.
Chemotherapy did not take a hard affect on Dan’s health until later, but eventually made him very weak and constantly tired. Although he missed some of his eighth grade year and one-half of his ninth grade year during treatment, he was still able to graduate on time. Unfortunately, he missed football and swimming, but pushed himself, physically, to improve. While he may have missed sports, he enjoyed working on his dad’s ’58 Jag XK150!
According to Dan, the lasting effects of his battle with cancer are the fact that his hair will never grow back the same and that other kids battling cancer did not make it. However, he believes the experience made him a better person.
And he is back in his physical prime. At the age of 21, Dan enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, and he serves in the infantry. He and his brother, Keith, serve in the same unit.
On March 3, 2007, Dan was married before shipping out to Iraq. On July 7, Dan was injured when riding in a humvee that hit an IED. He broke his leg and tore tendons in his ankle. He has returned to the United States and is currently stationed in Camp Pendleton in California. His enlistment ends in February 2009.
Although Dan won his battle against cancer, he knows the war against the disease is not over yet. He sees hope, however, in the form of Children’s Cancer Research Fund. “Without the great work and sacrifice of Children’s Cancer Research Fund, thousands of kids would not have the chance that they do,” he says.
As a victorious soldier in the battle against cancer, Dan knows firsthand the importance of having courage to fight. “No matter how hard it gets do not give up because there is always someone who has it worse than you do,” he says. “And when you are done with your treatment, do not let anyone tell you that you cannot do anything because you beat cancer.”
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