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Tumor-free and on to college
© St. Petersburg Times ST. PETERSBURG -- His voice remains raspy from radiation treatments a year ago. A 13-inch scar from his Adam's apple to his navel is a reminder of the April surgery to remove a grapefruit-sized tumor from his esophagus. But no other trace remains of the Hodgkin's disease that sidetracked Dixie Hollins High School student and football lineman Dan DiCicco for more than a year. The cancer is in remission. A robust appetite and rigorous weight training have added 55 pounds to DiCicco's 6-foot frame. He is still bald, but not because of chemotherapy. He shaves his head because he likes the look. DiCicco, now 19, was too sick to attend school for most of his senior year. A teacher with Pinellas County Schools' hospital homebound program visited him at home and in his hospital room to help him keep up with his assignments. In May, he walked in Dixie's graduation ceremony and received his diploma with his classmates. He returned to the high school's football field in August as a junior varsity line coach. He also started school at the University of South Florida. Most important to DiCicco, who was a sure bet for a football scholarship before cancer derailed his life, a USF coach has invited him to try out for the team as a walk-on. "I always was taught not to give up," he said. "I couldn't give up football because my coaches worked hard to get me where I was at. I owed it to them to go a little further. "I'm just taking it one day at a time."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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From the Times South Pinellas desks 2002: The Year in Review |
