WHITE BEAR LAKE, Minn. - Coach Ryan Bartlett prides himself on being prepared. Out here, on the football field at White Bear Lake, he's in charge. He's in control of his team and their destiny. But, in life, control can be fleeting. One minute you have it, and the next it's gone.
"I don't want this to be two-to-six months and there's nothing we can do for ya, it was like just give me a chance to go on chemo, give me a chance to fight it, that's really all I wanted,” says Ryan Bartlett.
Cancer. A scary word for anyone to hear and it stopped Ryan and his wife Amy dead in their tracks.
A Hodgkin’s disease diagnosis in April totally blindsided Ryan.
Getting cancer at 33 years old... with three young boys.
“We've told them that dad will be sick and not feel good all the time,” says Amy Bartlett.
A life under control, suddenly out of his control.
"The only thing that really matters is your family, your kids, your wife,” says Ryan.
"I think from the minute I heard I got it something goes through your head where you prioritize so different, high school football is fun and it's important but man when you hear something like that how you think about things is so much different."
Ryan found out fast that cancer is the great sifter of life. The things you once thought were so important sift to the bottom, while other things like faith, family and friends rise to the top.
It's life changing for those who go through it, and those who support. For this coach, the game plan is chemotherapy every other week for six months. The road is a tough one but the prognosis is promising.
"Well I think Ryan has a couple things in his favor, he got in right away with his symptoms he didn't wait –the other thing is he's young and he's healthy and he's got a great attitude,” said Dr. Robert Delaune, Maplewood Cancer Center.
Ryan also has rules. Amy gave him a hand sanitizer to carry with his whistle to keep him free of germs. And his hands-on contact with players and equipment has been limited. He can't afford to get sick.
What he can do is show his players the way. The way to gracefully handle life's challenges, an important lesson for all.
"We were talking about all the things that we'll look at different now –how this will be something use as springboard to do stuff for other people,” says Ryan. “Can't wait to pay back,” says Amy.
“I can't wait to pay back, just pay it forward you know when we're done,” says Ryan.
"So when it's all said and done when this is all cleared it’s going to make me a better person for sure."