Lacrosse Coach Bob Vlahakis "Sticks" it to Stomach Cancer

Patchogue, N.Y. – It's been quite a journey for St. Joseph's College women's lacrosse head coach Bob Vlahakis, who spent the fall recovering from stomach cancer surgery, and plans on returning to the sidelines in the spring.

"I have four four-year seniors, the first kids to go through the program; these are the kids who started our program, and I plan on being with them as they complete their journey," said Vlahakis.

The veteran coach initially found out he had a tumor at the very end of last season - April 28 to be exact - but at that time he wasn't told if it was cancerous or not.  It took three different medical procedures during the late spring and early summer to finally come up with the official diagnosis of stomach cancer, which he found out on July 7.

According to Vlahakis, the hardest part was waiting after each procedure to find out what the pathology results were. During the waiting period it was stressful not saying anything to anyone until he knew for sure what was happening. The Golden Eagles lacrosse team knew something was up, but weren't exactly sure. Finally in the third week of July, Coach "V" went to a summer league game and afterwards met with the players to tell them his thoughts on the future.

Luckily, once the diagnosis came through, he learned that chemotherapy and radiation would not be necessary. Initially, the doctors wanted to attack the tumor with surgery first, and see what the results would be. Stomach cancer is only the 15th most prevalent cancer in the United States and Vlahakis soon found out that he needed to listen to multiple opinions before making a decision on the treatment.  His Stony Brook doctor referred him to the Cancer Center at Stony Brook and also suggested he get a second opinion at Sloane-Kettering in New York City.

Sloane-Kettering sees the most stomach cancer patients in the United States - yet even they only come across roughly 200 cases a year. After meeting with surgeons at both hospitals and absorbing all the information, Vlahakis decided to go with Dr. Vivian Strong from Sloane-Kettering, a world-renowned expert on stomach cancer. Stomach cancer is the most prevalent cancer in Japan, and after reading a research article talking about how they treat it in that country, Vlahakis learned that it is critical to have a trained doctor who has performed the procedure many times. The article listed ten doctors in the world that they would recommend, and when he saw Dr. Strong's name on the list, he knew he had made the right decision.

Dr. Strong had him undergo another procedure at Sloane-Kettering in August, so that her team of experts would have their own information first hand.  Then it was off to Florida for the Vlahakis family to build up stamina and strength before the surgery. Vlahakis returned to New York during Labor Day weekend and had an appointment with Dr. Strong that Tuesday.  He found out she was prepared to do the surgery that Saturday, September 6.

After undergoing the cancer surgery at Sloane-Kettering, Vlahakis stayed in the hospital for seven days before he was sent home to begin recovery. The care and treatment at the world-renowned hospital is a memory that will never leave him.

During the stay at Sloane-Kettering, Vlahakis thought a lot about the young girl his team had "adopted" during last season - Carissa DiPresso - and of her time spent at Sloane-Kettering while fighting against a brain tumor over the last two years.  Her amazing courage demonstrated daily in her battle was an inspiration for him and he also was able to better comprehend what she had gone through.

Ten days later, in his follow-up visit, Vlahakis found out he was cancer-free. Despite the incredible results of the operation, Vlahakis will still require a check up every six-months for the next few years to ensure that the dreadful disease does not return.

Sayville High School assistant coach and longtime friend of Coach Vlahakis, Mark Russell, had offered in August to come in and run the Golden Eagles "Fall Ball" sessions.  Working together with SJC's newly hired assistant coach Kristen Znaniecki, they were able to keep the team highly motivated throughout the fall despite the head coach's absence.

"We didn't lose a beat in the fall," Vlahakis said. "Mark and Kristen did a wonderful job of keeping the continuity going and provided an upbeat training regime that the girls absolutely loved."

In mid-October, Vlahakis finally had enough strength to sit and observe two practices to see some of his new players in action.

As of November, his stomach is fully healed; he is back to normal eating patterns and beginning a fitness regime. Although feeling good right now, he is still not up to the season's daily rigor of three hours at practice for six days a week. The goal is to reach that stage by mid-January. Coach Vlahakis is confident that he will be able to make it back to his place on the sidelines, assuming no medical or health setbacks occur.