>> WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT GOING OFF TO COLLEGE, YOUNG ADULTS
HAVE THEIR WHOLE LIFE AHEAD OF THEM.
BUT FOR TWO STUDENT ATHLETES AT AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE,
THE FRESHMAN YEAR STARTED OFF WITH DEVASTATING NEWS.
BONDED BY A SIMILAR DIAGNOSIS, ERIC OTTO AND ELI VAZQUEZ
UNDERWENT CANCER TREATMENT AND LOST TIME IN SCHOOL, BUT CAME
BACK IN MANY WAYS STRONGER THAN BEFORE, INSPIRING THE ENTIRE
A.I.C.
COMMUNITY.
CAROLEE MCGRATH VISITED A.I.C.
THIS PAST SPRING AND BRINGS US THEIR STORY.
>> ERIC OTTO AND ELI VAZQUEZ MEETS UP IN BETWEEN CLASSES AT
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE IN SPRINGFIELD.
THE STUDENT ATHLETES ARE FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTRY.
ERIC IS FROM MINNESOTA, ELI, HOLYOKE.
ERIC PLAYS HOCKEY AT A.I.C.
ELI, D1 BASEBALL.
WHILE THEY ARE ON DIFFERENT PATHS, THEY HAVE WALKED DOWN THE
SAME DIFFICULT ROAD AND HAVE BATTLED THE SAME OPPONENT,
CANCER.
>> SHE BASICALLY SAT ME DOWN, EXPLAINED TO ME WHAT THEY WERE
LOOKING AT IN THE X RAYS, AND THEY PLANNED ON SCHEDULING MORE
CT SCANS TO GET A BETTER VIEW.
BUT THEN THERE WAS THAT DAY SHE TOLD ME SHE WAS PRETTY
CONFIDENT, SHE SAID 99% CONFIDENT IT'S SOME TYPE OF
LYMPHOMA.
>> ERIC SAYS EVERYTHING WAS IN SLOW MOTION, AS HE SALT IN
A.I.C.'S DOCTOR'S OFFICE AS THE PHYSICIAN EXPLAINED THE RESULTS
OF HIS TEST.
HE HAD STAGE FOUR HODGKIN'S LYMPHOMA, DIAGNOSED SEPTEMBER 11
IN 2018.
>> I THINK ABOUT THE MOMENT WHERE SHE TOLD ME IT WAS CANCER,
AND I THINK ABOUT HOW I LOOKED AT HER AND I LOOKED AT MY COACH,
I THINK ABOUT THAT EVERY TIME.
>> COACH LANG RECRUITED ERIC OUT OF THE USHL WHICH IS AN ELITE
HOCKEY LEAGUE.
COACH LANG, A FORMER A.I.C.
HOCKEY PLAYER, KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG JUST BY WATCHING ERIC
ON THE ICE.
>> OUR ASSISTANT COACH WAS GOING, MAN, HE DOESN'T LOOK
GOOD, WE THOUGHT HE'D HAVE A HIGHER IMPACT AS A PLAYER, AND
HE WAS A FULL STEP BEHIND, AND WINDED, AND JUST DIDN'T LOOK
LIKE A DIVISION ONE COLLEGE HOCKEY PLAYER.
WE BROUGHT HIM IN AND HAD A SERIOUS CONVERSATION WITH HIM
AND IT WAS A LITTLE BIT LIKE, HEY, ERIC, YOU DON'T LOOK RIGHT,
WHAT'S GOING ON?
AND WE ASKED SOME POINTED QUESTIONS, AND HE JUST SAID I
DON'T FEEL RIGHT.
>> WHAT FOLLOWED WERE APPOINTMENTS, TESTS, AND THEN
THE RESULTS.
COACH LANG WAS BY ERIC'S SIDE.
>> IT'S, THERE'S NOT DAYS THAT COULD PREPARE YOU FOR, AS A
COACH, TO BE IN A ROOM AND HE'S LOOKING FOR ME TO MAYBE BE
STRONG THERE, AND I'M WELLING UP AND I'VE GOT A LUMP IN MY THROAT
AND KEPT WHISPERING TO MYSELF LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT TO
PAINT A PICTURE OF THIS IS GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT.
>> FOR ERIC'S FAMILY THIS WASN'T THE FIRST TIME THEY HAD DEALT
WITH CANCER.
HIS MOTHER IS A SURVIVOR, DIAGNOSED WITH THE SAME CANCER
WHEN SHE WAS 21.
TELL ME WHAT THAT PHONE CALL WAS LIKE TO YOUR PARENTS.
>> IT WAS REALLY HARD TO TELL, WE KIND OF JOKED ABOUT IT, I
SAID HEY, MOM, IT'S MY TURN.
OBVIOUSLY SHE DOESN'T WANT TO HEAR THAT HER KID HAS CANCER,
MUCH LESS THE SAME CANCER SHE HAD WHEN SHE WAS A KID.
SO IT WAS TOUGH.
>> ERIC WENT HOME TO MINNESOTA FOR TREATMENT.
12 ROUNDS OF CHEMOTHERAPY.
WHILE HE WAS HOME HE HEARD ABOUT ANOTHER A.I.C.
STUDENT ATHLETE, WHO HAD ALSO BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH
CANCER, INCREDIBLY THE SAME MONTH HE HAD BEEN DIAGNOSED.
>> I NOTICED A BALL HIT ME REALLY HARD ON MY NECK AREA.
AFTER THAT DAY I NOTICED A LITTLE BUMP, SO I THOUGHT IT WAS
FROM THE BALL THAT HIT ME REALLY HARD.
A FEW WEEKS AFTER I NOTICED THE SWELLING, THE LITTLE BUMP ON MY
NECK WAS JUST GROWING BIGGER AND BIGGER.
I NOTICED SOME CHANGES IN MY BODY, FATIGUED, DIZZINESS,
TIREDNESS, VOMITING A LITTLE BIT.
>> ELI WAS DIAGNOSED WITH NONHODGKIN'S LYMPHOMA
SEPTEMBER 28, 2018.
>> THEY CALLED ME IN WITH MY MOM AND DAD.
TOUGH PART.
I WAS WAITING FOR THE DOCTOR IN THE ROOM, THEY TOLD ME HODGKIN'S
LYMPHOMA, TOO, TOLD ME YOU CAN'T PLAY BASEBALL.
YOU CAN'T PLAY BASEBALL, THAT'S WHEN IT HIT ME IMMEDIATELY, I
STARTED BREAKING DOWN AND CRYING.
>> ELI HAD TREATMENT AT BAY STATE MEDICAL CENTER IN
SPRINGFIELD.
HE HAD SIX MONTHS OF CHEMOTHERAPY.
>> I WAS SUPPOSED TO START HERE MY FRESHMAN YEAR, AT CENTER
FIELD, I'M GOING TO LOSE THE OPPORTUNITY, HIT ME LIKE WHY ME.
>> NICK IS THE HEAD BASEBALL COACH AT A.I.C.
>> CERTAINLY CAME TO US, IT'S A TOUGH THING TO DEAL WITH.
YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE IT ON ANYONE THAT GOT CANCER, BUT TO
SEE IT IN A YOUNG PERSON THAT'S JUST STARTING THEIR NEXT PHASE
OF THEIR LIFE, YOU KNOW, IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE
NOT EXPECTING.
>> HAD THIS NEVER HAPPENED, DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD HAVE BUMPED
INTO EACH OTHER IN THE LOCKER ROOM OR HAVE BEEN FRIENDS?
>> I DON'T THINK SO. >> IS IT HELPFUL TO HAVE
SOMEBODY TO TALK TO, YOUR AGE, YOU KNOW, GOING THROUGH THE SAME
THING YOU'RE GOING THROUGH RIGHT ON CAMPUS?
>> YEAH, I DEFINITELY THINK IT'S HELPFUL TO HAVE SOMEONE THAT I
CAN LOOK AT AND RELATE TO.
OR KNOW HE CAN RELATE TO ME.
SAY I WAKE UP IN THE MORNING AND MY STOMACH FEELS LIKE CRAP, KIND
OF BRINGS YOU BACK TO THOSE CRUDDY MORNINGS.
I CAN ASK HIM -- >> WE KEEP IN TOUCH.
WE TALK ABOUT IT.
>> BUT OTHER THAN THAT JUST NORMAL?
>> YEAH.
>> CAN YOU SKATE?
>> NO.
I'LL BREAK A LEG.
>> BOTH ERIC AND ELI SAY THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT THEIR ILLNESSES
AND EXPERIENCES HAVE CHANGED THEM, BUT THEY ALSO SAY NOW THAT
THEY'RE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS THAT THEY HAVE A NEW
PERSPECTIVE AND BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT REALLY
MATTERS.
>> WALKING AROUND, KNOWING YOU HAVE CANCER OR HAD CANCER, GIVES
YOU REALLY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE, FOR ME IT DID AT
LEAST.
>> NO MATTER WHAT WAS HAPPENING, JUST KEEP FIGHTING, KEEP
FIGHTING THROUGH IT.
EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A TOUGH TIME AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND, JUST
STAY ON YOUR FEET.
>> SEEMS LIKE A FIGHTER TO ME.
DOES HE INSPIRE YOU GUYS?
>> YEAH, I MEAN THAT WAS A LOT OF WHAT LAST YEAR WAS.
IS, HIS JERSEY MUNG IN OUR DOUG OUT AND THAT'S WHAT WAS
PRESENTED TO THE PLAYER EACH DAY.
>> WE WOULD REFERENCE, YOU THINK YOU'RE TIRED, YOU DON'T KNOW
WHAT TIRED IS, YOU DON'T HAVE STAGE FOUR CANCER, AND IT KIND
OF BECAME ITS OWN THING AND HAD A LIFE OF ITS OWN.
WHEN YOU THINK YOU'RE HURT, YOU DON'T HAVE STAGE FOUR CANCER.
>> SOME MOUNTAINS ARE HUGE, SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA GO OVER IT,
SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA MOVE IT OR GO THROUGH IT.
NO MATTER WHAT THE CASE IS, YOU GOTTA DO IT.