Courage Award

Olivia was 13 years old and living with her family in San Francisco when unexplained pain in her leg brought her to physicians who found a mass growing inside her tibia, the larger bone of the lower leg. The tumor was thought to be non-cancerous, and Olivia underwent surgery to remove it. She began her recovery as the Warhop family relocated to Cleveland that year. However when Olivia continued her care at Cleveland Clinic, she learned that the growth was cancerous, and could return.

She was diagnosed with an extremely rare cancer called myofibrosarcoma. Doctors across the country had seen few cases of the cancer which is almost always found in the soft tissue, instead of the bone.

Following the diagnosis, Olivia and her family gave careful consideration to this new finding. Olivia underwent reconstructive surgery with orthopaedic surgeon and cancer specialist Michael Joyce, MD and his team to remove and replace a portion of her tibia with a donor bone, plates and screws. The procedure was performed to eliminate the cancer, but would require an intensive rehabilitation program.

Olivia continues to recover from her operation and has undergone several follow-up procedures, including bone grafts from her hip.

She has persevered through the difficult diagnoses and multiple steps of treatment. She continues to remain active as much as possbile, including swimming.

Her nurse, Jane Golden, RN nominated her for the 2010 Cleveland Clinic Sports Health Courage Award and said, "Despite many hospital and clinic visits, Olivia remained bright, friendly and very positive. She offered many well thought out questions and always responded to the answers with remarkable maturity."

Olivia plans to play soccer and join the swim team as she enters high scholl at Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights. Her Cleveland Clinic medical team wishes her the best!

Gyasi Cooper, 18, says he became a man the moment he decided he wasn’t going to let cancer beat him.

When he was 16, the St. Ignatius High School senior and track and field team member was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. “On that day,” he remembers, “I thought my life was over.”

But his shock was short-lived. Cooper’s deep faith inspired him to fight the disease, and his family, friends and teammates cheered him on. And today, after losing his left leg to cancer and having to learn to walk again, Cooper is looking forward to graduating and studying computer engineering in college.

For his courage and winning determination, Gyasi Cooper was named the winner of the 2009 Cleveland Clinic Sports Health Courage Award.

The Setback

In July 2008, cortisone shots weren’t relieving the pain Cooper was feeling in his left heel after sprinting in the 100-, 200- and 400-yard dashes. Worried, his father took him to Cleveland Clinic for a thorough examination, which included an MRI. A biopsy later revealed a high-grade osteosarcoma in the heel.

Cooper had to undergo chemotherapy to shrink the tumor before it could be surgically removed. Due to the unfortunate location of the tumor, amputation was necessary below the knee. Steven Lietman, M.D., Director of Cleveland Clinic’s Musculoskeletal Tumor Center, performed the surgery.

Cooper went through many more chemotherapy sessions after the amputation. He developed temporary kidney failure and briefly went on dialysis. Several months after surgery, more of the limb had to be resected.

Despite these setbacks, the young man never lost hope: “Going through a situation like that really gives you an appreciation for life,” says Cooper.

Victory Lap

After missing a significant amount of school, he returned to classes full-time. Besides focusing on academics, Cooper worked hard on strengthening his hips and legs in physical therapy.

Chuck Kyle, St. Ignatius’ track coach, says Cooper’s teammates cheered him on, just as Cooper supported the track squad from the sidelines.

“Our guys liked to see him out there for us, and they took turns pushing him in his wheelchair to his classes,” says Kyle.

After spring break, Cooper returned to school — minus the wheelchair. He now walks to classes using a prosthetic leg and crutches. In physical therapy, he is learning how to use the new prosthesis so that he can forgo the crutches too.

“All of us find Gyasi a hero,” says coach Kyle. “He’s mature beyond his years.”

Photo Footnote: From left to right: Malcolm Collins, LeCharles Bentley, Gyasi Cooper, Adom Cooper

Born Athlete Overcomes Physical Challenges to Win 2009 Courage Award

The son of a University of Florida football player and sprinter, Eric Anderson Jr. always wanted to play sports. The fact that he was born without a fully developed left leg never got in his way. Over the years, he excelled at T-ball, baseball, basketball and football. He served as captain of his 8th-grade baseball team and is now a valued member of Gilmour Academy’s freshman basketball and baseball teams.

Eric’s determination earned him the admiration of his teammates, parents, coaches and medical team at Cleveland Clinic and led to his receiving the 2009 Cleveland Clinic Courage Award. The award recognizes exceptional student athletes who face difficult medical challenges with courage and determination.

A brave heart

“I had no doubt Eric would do well. Any child who could go through the significant surgical procedures that we put him through without a complaint was going to do well,” says Cleveland Clinic pediatric orthopaedic surgeon Alan Gurd, MD.

Dr. Gurd first examined Eric as a baby and told the family he could try to lengthen Eric’s shorter leg or amputate the lower portion of the leg and fit him with a prosthesis.

The Andersons opted for leg-lengthening. At age 5, Eric was fitted with an external device that allowed him to lengthen his tibia (shinbone) with the turn of a screw. Each turn was exquisitely painful.

Over the years, Cleveland Clinic prosthetists fitted Eric with multiple orthotic devices to support and align his foot and leg. However, Eric never gained good use of his foot. When he turned 10, Dr. Gurd recommended amputation.

Decision time

“The hardest decision that any parent can make is to agree with me to have part of the leg removed, because it can never be put back on again,” he says.

The Andersons discussed it as a family. “My dad told me, ‘Make a pro and con list,’” says Eric. “It just seemed like getting the amputation was so much better.”

His mom was surprised by the main motivation: “It was all about sports! ‘Am I going to be better?’ ‘Am I going to be faster?’ ‘Is this going to give me better mobility?’” she recalls.

Eric’s leg was removed below the knee. Two months later, a prosthesis was designed to fit over the end of Eric’s leg, the first of several that would be specially fabricated to meet the young athlete’s needs. When he outgrew the prosthesis, he was fit with a new design that allowed him to play basketball and accommodated the demands of various other sports. Eric also underwent physical therapy to improve his walking gait and to learn how to run and jump.

No stopping him now

Now nearly 15, Eric returns to Cleveland Clinic from time to time for adjustments to the prosthesis. However, he does not consider himself disabled, and neither does anyone else.

Gilmour basketball coach Kenneth Grant recalls that “when we first had our tryouts, an hour and a half went by before I realized Eric was wearing a prosthetic leg. I was in awe, because he did everything I asked him to do, at a higher level.”

Says Mrs. Anderson: “I’m overwhelmed by just his attitude, his courage, his impact on others. People tell us all the time what a role model he is. I guess we take it for granted, but I am so proud.”

Published April 2009

He’s Got Courage: Much-Injured Athlete Beats the Odds to Make Football History

Jeff Mayer’s life turned upside down as he neared the end of rehab from two knee surgeries for football-related injuries. The Baldwin-Wallace College football player was feeling good and hoping to return to the gridiron soon. But while walking home one snowy night, he was involved in a hit-and-run car accident that left him with a broken pelvis, broken nose, dislocated shoulder and right knee, and other injuries. Mayer could have given up on football, and no one would have challenged his decision. Instead, he began setting small, realistic goals.

Down...

A standout athlete in Vermilion, Ohio, Mayer was being recruited to play college football – his ultimate dream. But during senior year, Mayer tore his left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), and the letters and phone calls from colleges stopped coming. “I realized I could overcome the physical injury, but mentally, I was crushed,” he says. Still, Mayer didn’t quit. He worked his knee back to health and decided to attend Baldwin-Wallace, playing football on B-W’s freshman and junior varsity teams. The summer before his junior year, he expected to move up to varsity. But injury struck again. This time, Mayer tore his right ACL and meniscus during practice. Cleveland Clinic orthopaedic surgeon John Bergfeld, MD, the B-W team physician, repaired his knee.

...but not out

His second knee rehab was going well at the time of the hit-and-run accident. It negated all his progress to date. Mayer consulted Dr. Bergfeld, who brought in colleague Richard Parker, MD, an arthroscopic knee surgery specialist. “Our expertise lies in bringing a team of experts together who specialize in these complex procedures, which take lots of planning. The key was the timing of the surgery,” Dr. Parker says. The physicians waited nearly six months after the accident to reconstruct Mayer’s knee, so that his pelvis could heal. But Mayer began to realize there was a chance he could play football again. To keep his hand in the game, he coached his teammates, while spending about 18 months working with B-W physical therapists and certified athletic trainers to get back to 100 percent. “Jeff’s injuries were cumulative and severe,” Dr. Bergfeld recalls. “I was so impressed because he never gave up. ‘Can’t’ wasn’t in his vocabulary.”

The catch that ‘erased’ the past

Mayer, a mechanical engineering major with a 3.8 GPA, decided to transfer from B-W to Case Western Reserve University to complete his degree. During the transfer process, Mayer found out that he was eligible to play one more semester of college ball. It was the perfect season for Mayer to play at Case. The team earned its first-ever spot in the Division III playoffs. With 2 seconds remaining in the playoff game, he caught the game-winning touchdown as the clock ran down. Case won, 21-20. “That catch erased everything that had happened during the past few years,” Mayer says.

Courage recognized

In recognition of Mayer’s determination, he was awarded the Cleveland Clinic Courage Award at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards in January. The honor is given annually to an athlete who displays courage beyond the boundaries of the playing field and who inspires others. Mayer was nominated by Dr. Bergfeld. “Any of the injuries Jeff sustained would have taken the average athlete out of competition,” he says. “In all my years of caring for amateur and professional athletes, I have never seen an athlete display Jeff’s courage despite all adversity, both on and off the field.” So what kept Mayer motivated? “You can’t control most of the things that happen to you. You can either sit on the sideline or turn a negative situation into something positive,” he says. “A positive attitude is what gets you through.”

2006 Recipient: Mariano Gannon, Rocky River High School, Football

2005 Recipient: Ahmad Motley, Shaker Heights High School, Football, Wrestling

2004 Recipient: Jamie Supan, Kenston High School, Basketball, Track & Field

2003 Recipient: Steven Steele, Black River High School, Football, Basketball

2002 Recipient: Aimee Dombrowski, Beaumont High School, Cross Country

2001 Recipient: Tony Franklin, St. Peter Chanel High School, Football