Published: March 29, 2008 10:11 pm         

Rasnick faces a different kind of foe

TAZEWELL, Va. — On Saturday while the Tazewell boys soccer team was playing Lebanon in the Southwest Virginia Cup, one person stood on the sidelines, conspicuous by his absence on the field.

That person was T.J. Rasnick. A noted two-sport athlete at Tazewell High School, celebrated as a running back on the football field and a striker on the soccer pitch, Rasnick will not be playing either sport anytime soon.

On March 11, T.J. Rasnick was diagnosed with cancer.

He has a synovial sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that usually occurs near the joints of the arm or the leg. Rasnick’s sarcoma was found near his right hamstring.

“I’ve had a little knot there. We just kind of thought (it was) a sports injury or something like that,” Rasnick said Saturday. “But I went to the doctor over it maybe back in February. He noticed it and we got sent to Bowman Gray over it.”

“As a parent, this is one of the most horrifying things that you can hear,” T.J.’s father Tim said as he choked back tears. “It rattles you to the core.”

The news changed the lives of the Rasnick family instantly. His father is taking a leave of absence from his teaching position at Tazewell Middle School to take care of his son. Tim has also passed the coaching duties for the Bulldogs boys soccer team to assistant Jeremy Call.

At first, T.J. thought he might be able to play for the Bulldogs while undergoing treatment. But his doctors decided otherwise.

“They told me that they thought I was going to get to play. And then they came back and said I could get hit on it and it could mess with my nerves and mess with my legs,” T.J. said. “So they weren’t going to let me play. I was pretty disappointed over that. But you gotta do what’s best in the long run.”

“Because of its’ location and proximity to some nerves and different things, they want to see if they can get some shrinkage to make the surgery a little easier, a little safer,” Tim said.

The first thing any cancer patient thinks when he or she receives the news is the absolute worst. But as the facts about T.J.’s cancer have emerged, he has been better able to cope.

“It’s been kind of a whirlwind ever since it happened,” T.J. said. “From the worst-case scenario to this can happen to that can happen. It’s not too bad now. You kind of know what you’ve got to do. It’s not horrible. It’s not something you want to hear but it’s manageable.

“It’s a journey. But it’s nothing you can’t — just got to battle with it.”

T.J. is currently undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments to shrink the tumor before doctors will attempt to remove it surgically in about 18 weeks.

“(There has) been a lot of tests, a lot of long days having baseline testing done and run and ready so they can start this first round of treatment,” Tim said.

In the meantime, T.J. is trying to lend as much support as he can to the soccer team while he copes with treatment. He is also trying to keep up with his schoolwork, attending when he is able.

“I’m not going to go on homebound,” T.J. said. “But I’m going to be able to make it most weeks.”

T.J. is focusing on getting well again. He desperately wants to return to his normal life and playing the sports he loves so much.

“I just want to try to get past this hopefully sometime this summer,” T.J. said. “I’m really optimistic about hopefully getting back for football season next year.

“I definitely want to be back. But I’ve just got to take it a step at a time and right now I’m just going to get past this before I do that.”

T.J. has also not ruled out a return to the soccer team.

“I’ve always told them, ‘I’m going to be back. I’m going to be ready to play,’” T.J. said. “I’m just ready to get this over with and get back to my normal thing.”

“As we have talked about this, his health is the primary through this,” Tim said. “And whatever plan that the good lord has for him is what we’ll take. And if it’s sports then we’re more than happy whatever he has in store for us, that’s what we’re looking forward to.”

T.J. knows he is not fighting this battle alone. Many in the community have lent their support to him — including his brethren on the soccer team.

“There’s just so many people, you never even expect half of the people that show you support and that are there for you and that have noticed you through things you do,” T.J. said.

“And just everybody out there supports me so much that it takes something like this sometimes really to open your eyes to so many people that care about you.”

“I know T.J. and I know how he plays,” Call said. “And I know he would expect us to play as hard as we can regardless if we win the game or not. And I know he’ll expect us to work as hard as we can and of course every time we step on the field before the game he’s on our mind.”

T.J.’s message to his many supporters is a simple one.

“I really don’t know anything other than just thank you,” T.J. said. “It helps out so much. It picks you up days that you’re down that you know there’s all those people there pulling for you. It’s just not you alone going through something like that.”

— Contact Jed Lockett

at jlockett@bdtonline.com

     

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