March 20, 2008

(Special thanks to the Green Bay Press Gazette for permission to reproduce this article)

They prove cancer isn't death sentence

By Scott Venci

His vision was blurred. He had bad headaches. He was told to go home and get his life in order because he was going to die.

More than a decade ago, Nick Nesvacil had just finished his freshman football season at St. Norbert College. He was 20, thought he had the world in his hands and never had a health problem other than a football injury.

Getting brain cancer wasn't in his plans. It would have shattered some, but not Nesvacil. He coped by pretending it wasn't happening.

He didn't believe it. Wouldn't acknowledge it. Refused to say the words.

"You think that's something old people or smokers ... you just don't think that's possible," said Nesvacil, a wide receivers coach for the Green Bay East football team. "I was so much in denial at first. It took a long time."

The cancer was real, as was the stroke he suffered when doctors hit the wrong part of his brain while removing just 7 percent of his tumor.

He was lucky, though. His family found a surgeon in Chicago who dealt with his type of tumor. The doctor saved Nesvacil, giving him another lease on life.

"Yeah, a lot of people thought I was going to die," Nesvacil said. "I never thought about it. I guess because of my family support and the great people I've had around me."

Nesvacil is a 12-year cancer survivor.

While he was going through his ordeal, things were going well for Tom Ristow, a sports anchor for WLUK, Channel 11.

That was, until spring 2003, when he was experiencing light-headedness and headaches.

They had been occurring for some time, but the symptoms were becoming more frequent.

On April 4 of that year, at 31, he was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his brain. Six days later, he had surgery to remove it.

"I refused to believe it would not work out," Ristow said. "I say my prayers every night, and God takes care of me."

That doesn't mean death didn't cross his mind.

"I'd be lying if I said it didn't," he said. "But, I really didn't want to believe it at all. I had a really positive attitude."

Ristow missed less than two months of work. But it wasn't until early the next year when he had enough energy to get through his workday without worrying if he could.
In 12 days, he will go in for his checkup. He's close to being a five-year cancer survivor, which is the first significant benchmark in a lifelong battle.

You never beat cancer. You just keep surviving it. The longer you survive, the better your chances.

"The further away I get from it, the less I think about it," Ristow said.

Nesvacil and Ristow will be among the cancer survivors speaking at St. Norbert College on Tuesday. SNC's Colleges Against Cancer is teaming with Nesvacil's Sting Cancer group for a men's cancer forum that night.

It's not easy to talk about. Nobody wants to rehash the bad parts of life, but they feel the responsibility to help others. To show people that, yes, cancer is a horrible disease, but it doesn't have to be a death sentence.

"I received countless e-mails and a lot of support from people," Ristow said. "It's the least I can do. If my story helps one person, great. If it helps hundreds or thousands, even better."

It sounds strange, but Nesvacil and Ristow say cancer changed their lives for the better.

Ristow met his wife shortly after his surgery - she worked at Aurora Bay Care Medical Center, where he had his surgery - and they have two children.

Nesvacil has met several new friends and his wife. He's had two miracle children, considering he wasn't supposed to be around to see 21 and wasn't supposed to be able to have kids, even if he did.

How can you dread the worst time of your life when so much good came from it?

"In a way, it's been a blessing," Ristow said. "I wouldn't wish what I went through upon anybody, but it turns out it wasn't so bad."