Athlete assists another with goal

Conversing about coaches and players, statistics and draft picks, two young athletes who met for the first time Thursday enjoyed the familiarity of a shared history.

Both Markese Fitzgerald, 22, and Dan DiCicco, 18, have been fueled with a passion for sports for as long as they can remember. Raised in St. Petersburg, both played football at Dixie Hollins High. Both reigned as homecoming king in their senior years, basking in the camaraderie of teammates and classmates.

But while one has enjoyed the celebrity of a stunning college football career, cancer has snatched the dream of a similar future from the other.

The two athletes met through the efforts of Fitzgerald's mother, Carla Baker. She heard about DiCicco, a Dixie Hollins senior who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease in August. She told his story to her son, a fifth-year cornerback for the University of Miami Hurricanes.

They discussed DiCicco's disappointment at being unable to play football in his senior year and of his dashed hopes for a football scholarship. They also talked of his determination to keep up with his schoolwork despite debilitating chemotherapy.

"I told him, "Markese, it would be nice for you to go back and do something when the season is over,' " Mrs. Baker said. "Here is this kid. He's sick. He wants to play football really badly, but because of his illness, he's not able to."

Fitzgerald told his teammates about DiCicco. When he asked them to sign a University of Miami football helmet for him, they agreed.

"Dan showed his determination, his willingness to want to carry on. It kind of motivated me to want to do something," Fitzgerald said. "Although he was sick, he wanted to live a normal life."

The willingness to carry on is essential for athletes, Fitzgerald said, especially for athletes facing major challenges. He credits DiCicco with providing team members with additional inspiration to play their best in the Rose Bowl Jan. 3, which secured them a national championship.

Fitzgerald brought the white helmet with the orange-and-green stripe to St. Petersburg Thursday and presented it to DiCicco toward the end of a schoolwide assembly in the Dixie Hollins auditorium. The students cheered for Fitzgerald, and also for DiCicco.

"When a kid is as sick as Danny is, it's kind of an inspiration to the kids," assistant principal Walter Weller said. "He's trying so hard to keep going. I know it's been a true inspiration to the other football players."

DiCicco said he appreciates the homage from Fitzgerald.

"He went big, and he felt I could have gone big," he said. "There's a bond with athletes. They understand what you're going through and what it takes."

After speaking with friends and showing off the helmet, DiCicco headed for an appointment with his radiologist. Wednesday, he will find out if the grueling radiation therapy he underwent in January was successful in arresting the tumor on his windpipe.

In the meantime, he has learned to live with uncertainty. He is unsure if he will be able to return to Dixie or if he will continue his homebound classes, but he plans to graduate with his class in June.

"I just try to do my best and try to be me," he said.

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