Kevin Campanale’s return to sports caps 30-month battle against cancer
By Rudy Brandl Sports Editor
Kevin Campanale battles a lot more than tough opponents on the wrestling mat and football field in his daily life. The Hillsborough High senior also has proven he can defeat something much more powerful or threatening than any opposing athlete.
Kevin has been fighting leukemia for the past two and a half years. He’s undergone chemotherapy, spent weeks at a time in the hospital and watched his powerful, muscular frame shrivel and soften.
Hearing the word “cancer” at the age of 15 didn’t stop this young man. Instead, he persevered and fought back.
Thanks to hard work, a positive attitude and great support from his family and friends, Kevin is well on the road to recovery with his leukemia in remission. He still takes medication and gets spinal taps every eight weeks but hasn’t received a shot or any aggressive chemotherapy treatments in the last year.
While the disease has slowed him down, it hasn’t stopped him – on the field or in the classroom. Kevin became a starting linebacker at the end of his senior football season last fall and has emerged as one of the Raiders’ top wrestlers this winter, all while maintaining a 4.0 grade point average.
”I just love sports so much,” Kevin said. “It’s a feeling you can’t get from anything else. Wrestling is fun for me. It takes my mind off everything. To get your hand raised at the end of the match feels great. I love wrestling because if you work hard, you’ll see results.”
Kevin reaped the rewards of his hard work last month when he won the Somerset County wrestling championship in the 189-pound division. He shut out top-ranked Andrew Hampton of Bridgewater-Raritan in a 5-0 decision that demanded a full six minutes of intense competition.
A year ago, Kevin would have struggled to complete a full bout. It’s still not easy for him to get through three full periods of wrestling, so he often uses an injury time-out to catch his breath.
Hillsborough head coach Steve Molinaro marvels at Kevin’s spirit and dedication. Through all the tough times, Kevin continued to work harder to get back into shape.
”He’s been getting treatments and he still performs at such a high level,” Coach Molinaro said. “He’ll never tell you when he’s hurting or when he’s tired. He never asks for any special treatment. It teaches us all lessons about life.”
Coach Molinaro feels blessed to have the opportunity to coach Kevin and witness his amazing recovery on a daily basis.
”When you step back and look at all the kids you coach, you think about a kid like Kevin and you’re thankful you chose this career,” Coach Molinaro said. “A lot of times, you don’t see it until later after they graduate. I’m seeing this right in front of me every day. I’m very lucky to be coaching him.”
Kevin’s courage and dedication has inspired his teammates.
”What’s really amazing about Kevin is how he practices,” HHS senior 152-pounder Luke Dawson said. “When he first came back from cancer, he hardly had any energy. He could barely get through a practice. His willpower is amazing.
”Everyone has their problems and when you look at Kevin’s problems, everything seems so much simpler,” Luke added. “If you’re having a bad day, just look at Kevin. He’s an inspiration to us all.”
Kevin grew up playing football and wrestling on various youth teams in Hillsborough, dreaming of that day he’d become a varsity athlete. He suffered a shoulder injury at the league wrestling tournament in eighth grade but played freshman football anyway. When the shoulder kept popping out in his first high school wrestling practice, Kevin decided to have surgery.
He worked hard in the summer between his freshman and sophomore years, hoping to make the varsity football team for the 2005 season. Late that summer, Kevin began to experience tightness in his chest and found lumps on the side of his neck.
He learned that his white blood cell count was high and his platelets were low. He had ruptured blood vessels and his blood was not clotting. Instead of attending two-a-day workouts, Kevin ran and lifted in the mornings and went to the Cancer Institute of New Jersey in the afternoons.
”I really didn’t think anything was wrong,” he said. “I was hoping I had mono.”
Kevin spent the end of August that year at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, where he was monitored closely. He still made it back for the beginning of school and decided to focus on his academics while receiving aggressive treatments.
”I lost all my muscle and I just got skinny,” Kevin said. “I felt bad when I saw all my friends wrestling and playing football. That just made me want to get back doing the sports I love. I just had to keep moving. I’d go on walks, just to start working my way back.”
The doctors allowed Kevin to resume activity in January of 2006 and he started lifting again to restore his muscle. He got cleared to play football that July and remembered barely making it through the practice sessions.
”Every practice was a struggle,” said Kevin, who saw some varsity action on special teams as a junior. “I was in a little better shape by wrestling season, but I could barely make it through one period.”
Kevin never considered quitting on his teammates, even when he felt considerable fatigue from receiving a recent treatment.
”Whenever I got a shot, I’d feel weaker,” he said. “I had to work twice as hard. It was always two steps forward, two steps back. Sometimes it was tough just lying in bed feeling really crappy.”
Kevin felt he truly arrived on the varsity scene in a wrestling match at Raritan last season. He struggled to stay in his grueling bout against Aaron Cruz but eventually secured a big pin at 5:05 to help the Raiders win the match.
”I had to take a break in the third period because I couldn’t breathe at all,” Kevin said. “It was a close match and I ended up pinning him. I was really proud of myself because it was the first time I made a contribution to a varsity team. I knew I was on my way back to where I’m supposed to be.”
Kevin wound up posting an 8-4 record in part-time duty as a junior. This year, he’s off to an 11-3 start that includes a county title.
”He’s one of the kids we’re counting on all the time,” Coach Molinaro said. “It’s awesome to watch.”
Two years ago, most people wouldn’t have thought Kevin would ever become a starting linebacker on the gridiron and county champion on the mat. He understood what he was facing and put up a spirited fight.
”I knew it was a real serious thing,” Kevin said. “When the doctors told me it was a 90 percent cure rate as long as I followed the plan, I always tried to think positive. I just learned that you can never give up. You always have to keep trying no matter how bad it looks. Even if it doesn’t pay off now, it will later.”
”He’s got qualities you just can’t teach,” Coach Molinaro said. “When you realize what he’s had to overcome at such a young age, it’s amazing. He’s risen above it. I never had to battle anything as tough as that. To do that and perform at such a high level is unbelievable.”
Kevin’s experience has made him want to pursue a career in medicine. He’s been accepted to Rutgers University and hopes to study medicine at UMDNJ, which will also provide the convenience of occasional checkups with his regular physicians.
He said he’s learned a very valuable lesson from the fight for his life.
”I know I can push myself on the wrestling mat, in the work place and to become a doctor,” he said. “You can never give up.”