SADDLE BROOK – Leukemia caused David Guerra’s arms to spasm, his stomach to burn and his muscles to be paralyzed.
“I had some pretty bad experiences with slim chances,” said the Saddle Brook junior with a slight smile. “All the side effects I was getting were all very rare and I seemed to get all of them.”
Almost a year after the diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a type of bone marrow cancer, Guerra, 16, stands poised on the edge of the Falcons soccer field waiting to play. Doctors have cleared him to practice. His weight is up. His color is good. The cleats are on.
No one talks about leukemia, just the next drill in practice, the next goal.
“It’s a miracle that he is where is from where he was,” said Falcons coach Chris Alfieri.
Where Guerra is now is, well, he’s not a very fit soccer player. Eight months of intense treatment drained all of his stamina. He has practiced with the Falcons, lately, he’s been sitting out with a sprained ankle. But he knows he has a long way to go before he can play 80 minutes, run box to box and keep going.
“Baby steps for now,” said Guerra, “but the goal is to be able to play on the team this year. I need to train really hard because the season is right around the corner and I am nowhere near fit to play. I need to do a lot of work on my own.”
“I don’t expect him [to play] in September,” said Alfieri. “I will move him along as best as I can; if we can get him five to 10 minutes in a junior varsity game, absolutely. If we are in a varsity game and it’s a blowout, I will find something for him.”
Soccer was one of the things that kept Guerra going when things were bad. Also, the tremendous support he got from the North Jersey community.
His friends never stopped coming by the hospital. More than anything, they helped pass the time, talking about school and what was going on.
Members of Red Bulls also stopped by. New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning came. Guerra was sort of out of it at the time, but remembers Manning giving him a signed soccer ball and iTunes gift card.
“All the people coming…that’s just a memory I will never forget,” said Guerra.
Guerra was home schooled for the year, but able to keep up with his studies. He came to several Falcon soccer games. Saddle Brook authored one of its best seasons, finishing 11-7-2.
Alfieri cites a game when the Falcons were in the Bergen Cup. The side was lethargic and scoreless at halftime. Guerra showed up at halftime and his presence gave the team a huge emotional lift.
“We never should have done some of the things we did last year,” said Alfieri. “I give a lot of credit to our senior class last year, pulling through like we did for him.”
Today Guerra is on “maintenance” for his disease. He takes over a dozen medications, sometimes waking up in the middle of the night to do so. His Portacath is being removed soon. All the recent scans have been good and he might be the only kid in Saddle Brook who can’t wait for school to start.
“I would much rather go to school than be home schooled,” said Guerra. “Even though home school is only an hour a day and school is six to seven hours, I would rather be in school and have the experience of seeing my friends and doing all the activities I can’t do in home school.”
The biggest precaution is just to make sure that Guerra stays hydrated and doesn’t feel faint. Any sign of a fever means Guerra has to go back in the hospital to go on antibiotics.
Through it all, Guerra hasn’t lost his sense of humor. When he was cleared to practice, he didn’t tell Alfieri, choosing just to show up and start playing.
For years, Alfieri has signed up to be a dunk tank victim at the St. Philips Carnival in Saddle Brook. He knows it’s a chance for his former players to come back and turn the tables on a demanding coach.
This year, Guerra showed up, paid his money for 10 throws and sank his coach five times.
Never did the water feel so good for Alfieri, seeing Guerra look strong, healthy and enjoying the moment.
“I haven’t had a bad player in the six going on seven years I have been doing this,” said Alfieri. “We have a very tight-knit family and you’ll do anything for your family.”
More than anything, Guerra talks about wanting to play soccer again.
“This year I am going to train hard and hopefully come back to soccer, the sport that I love,” said Guerra.
“I love him for that, how can you not love a kid for wanting that?” said Alfieri. “We will get him out there at some point and it will be a great thing.”
