|
|
Long time Bradford coach and teacher,Greg Hale, stands with his wife
Cindy Tuesday in the gym at Bradford High School. CNO Photos by Don
Sealanders
Local coach on
a new journey
It all goes beyond sports
By George Starks
BRADFORD- It was just over two years ago that Bradford resident, Greg
Hale, come down with a common cold.
What seemed to be a common cold, led to excessive coughing and a broken
rib.
At that point, things started to steamroll as the broken rib caused
numerous health concerns.
Fluid started to fill his lungs so often that a cat-scan was ordered.
Not only did his lungs fill up once, they filled up twice with 700cc of
fluid being drained the first time and 1,300cc the second time.
With the results of the CT in, Hale was diagnosed with renal cell
carcinoma or cancer of the kidney.
Hale, a graduate of West Carrollton High School, came to Bradford
before the 1988-89 school year and is starting his 27th year as a
teacher in the Bradford school system.
Before coming to Bradford, Hale spent three years at Upper Sandusky
High School.
With 30 years of teaching under his belt and several years as a coach,
Hale will retire at the end of this school year.
Tuesday, Bradford and Ansonia played volleyball in a Cross County
Conference match. It was also the annual Cancer Awareness match and it
was Hale that was being lifted up be the team and the Bradford faithful.
“Tonight meant so much to me,” said an emotional Hale with tears in his
eyes. “This is a very small community and everyone knows everyone and
the support has been overwhelming. This is my home and there are people
here that has it worse than me. I’ve lived here half of my life, I call
this place home.”
When Hale was going through numerous examinations and trying to get
answers, it was football season and Bradford, under head coach Curtis
Enis, was about to hook up with Covington. Both teams were 3-0 at the
time and Hale wasn’t about to miss the biggest game of the season.
“This was the year we went to the playoffs,” said Hale. “I had missed
the National Trail game the week before but I was back at practice the
following Tuesday. I was in a lawn chair but I made it. I wanted to be
at that game. It took me a while to get into the press box. I wanted to
be there for my team. Coach Enis and the team needed me. I missed about
two weeks of school because of the operations. Because of the robotics,
I was back pretty quick.”
Tuesday, the Roader Nation raised $809.30 for their beloved coach.
In addition to being a football coach, Hale has been the powerlifting
coach at Bradford.
On Friday night, October 3rd, there will be a benefit for Hale called
‘Pennies for Pounds’. A lift-a-thon that will raise funds in Hales name.
“I think PJ (Burgett, Principal) and Dusty (Yingst, AD) along with the
Athletic Boosters will be doing this for me,” said Hale. “They will be
selling t-shirts many other things to raise money. I’ve always given my
senior kids a t-shirt that said Hale’s Gym with a barbell on it and a
quote from Rocky Balboa on the back. Adults and kids will be lifting on
that night out here. I’m going to get on there and just try to do the
bar. I want to be a part of this. The support is just overwhelming.”
With all the years of coaching, Hales kids tells him to just hang in
there and they miss him.
Since the diagnosis, Hale has lost a kidney that resulted in a
incisional hernia and he was forced to have hernia surgery that did not
repair the hernia totally and a second surgery was necessary.
The day before the second surgery was to be performed, his glucose
leves were much too high and it was postponed due to his contracting
diabetes. Once the diabetes was under control, the second hernia
surgery was performed.
With all that Hale has been through, his attitude is positive and says
through it all, God has blessed him in so many ways.
Currently, Hale is waiting on his oncologist to receive insurance
approval for a medicine that is not yet FDA approved.
The medicine is to prevent any further cancer cells from metastasizing.
"When you hear the 'C' word, it's enough to bring you to your knees."
|
|
|
|
|
