Coach to scale new heights after climbing cancer barrier

When Chris Forbes, an assistant baseball coach at the University of Northern Colorado, attempts in June to reach the summit of Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North America at 20,320 feet, he won't be the first man, or woman, for that matter, to do so. But he will be the first leukemia patient to ever attempt the feat.

The endeavor, called Climb 4 Hope, is part of a fund-raising effort for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society developed specifically around Forbes, who in December 1999 was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a blood-related cancer that attacks the lymph system.

Forbes said he is active in the cancer community and has trouble turning down the society, especially after a visit to a children's cancer ward about four years ago.

"It kind of changed my idea and what I could do to help out the cause," he said. "I think of the pain, the chemo, the treatments and some of the pain that I went through and I put that into a 4-year-old child and it's just unbelievable to me. That's why I just can't say no to them."

Shortly after the initial diagnosis of cancer, doctors discovered two inoperable brain tumors. Forbes was given two to six months to live. In the midst of treatment, however, Forbes' journey took an unusual and injurious turn when he was the victim of a serious crime.

"I was very negative at that time, kind of playing the victim a little bit," Forbes said. "I was leaving chemotherapy. I stopped at a stop sign and a gentleman opened my car door and tried to carjack me. I drove away and he shot me in the stomach."

Forbes drove back to the hospital, where he underwent surgery. He checked himself out of the hospital the next morning and went to coach a baseball game.

"There is a big difference in living with cancer and dying of cancer. I needed to find the middle," Forbes said. "At that point, I knew I needed to start reading books and be active and quit asking doctors what they were doing for me. Cancer patients need to be their own strongest ally. I think the only fear cancer has is an active cancer patient."

With a more positive outlook in place, Forbes continued to battle. After months of ineffective treatment, doctors discovered that he had leukemia. With the help of a firm diagnosis and powerful medication, Forbes officially has been in remission about six months -- against all the proverbial odds.

Although the Colorado native admits that he's a bit of an amateur, Forbes is training six days a week in preparation for the climb, which could take 16 to 22 days in good weather conditions.

"I've been up Long's Peak and Pike's Peak (both in Colorado), but there's not a mountain in the state, or in the lower 48, that I can even remotely simulate 20,000 feet," he said.

Forbes said the Northern Colorado baseball team has rallied around him and the Climb 4 Hope project. He even has received support from teammates' parents.

"This has given me a little closure," he said. "For four years, I dealt with the treatments, the constant uncertainty. I'll always be a part of the cancer community and do what I can for people because it has been very therapeutic to me, too."

The fund-raising goal for the climb is $100,000. Individuals may make a pledge as well as monitor Forbes' progress online at climb4hope.com.

Conference recognizes inspirational athletes

The Colonial Athletic Association has honored Drexel University women's tennis student-athlete Beth Childs, James Madison University baseball student-athlete Alan Lindsey, and College of William and Mary men's soccer student-athlete Brannon Thomas with its John H. Randolph Inspiration Award. The award recognizes individuals who through strength of character and human spirit serve as an inspiration to all to maximize their potential and ability for success. It is named after former William and Mary athletics director John Randolph, who lost a courageous battle with cancer in 1995.

Childs was involved in an automobile accident that resulted in the amputation of part of her left foot. She put herself through intensive rehabilitation on both her foot and shoulder over the next two years, and was able to return to the Drexel women's tennis team for the 2003 spring season.

Lindsey overcame a life-threatening bacterial infection in his heart, undergoing two open-heart surgeries within a six-day period. He is scheduled to graduate as planned this month.

Thomas collapsed during a summer league soccer match in June 2003 and began suffering from seizures. Doctors discovered a benign tumor in the right frontal lobe of his brain. He was cleared by a neurosurgeon to take the field for William and Mary's regular-season finale against Old Dominion on November 8. Less than 90 seconds after entering the contest, Thomas assisted on the game-tying goal.

-- Compiled by Leilana McKindra

Number crunching

Looking back

Serve and volley

The Division I Men's Tennis Championship is the oldest college championship, with this year marking the 120th annual event. The first National Collegiate Tennis Championship, as it was formerly called, was held in 1883 at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and was sponsored by the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association.

Here's a look back at Division I Men's Tennis Championships of the past:

The first team title was awarded in 1946. In that year, the University of Southern California placed first, followed by William & Mary. Southern California went on to win the team title 15 more times, most recently in 2002.

California schools have won or tied for the team title a record 49 times. Golden State winners include: Southern California; the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of San Francisco; and Stanford University. The only other teams that have won the title are: College of William and Mary; the University of Michigan; the University of Notre Dame; Tulane University; Trinity University (Texas); the University of Georgia; and the University of Illinois, Champaign.

The first singles champions, crowned in 1883, were Joseph Clark of Harvard University in the spring and Howard Taylor of Harvard in the fall. This was the only time champions were named in both the spring and fall. Harvard tennis players went on to win individual titles 14 more times, most recently in 1916.

Ivy Group schools held a near monopoly on the singles championship from its inception through the early 1920s. Yale University's win in 1922 marked the last time an Ivy Group institution won the singles event.

Joseph Clark and Howard Taylor of Harvard took the first doubles crown in the spring of 1883, and Harvard's Taylor and R.E. Presbrey won in the fall of 1883. As with the singles event, this was the only year champions were decided in the spring and fall.

The first non-Ivy Group school to win the doubles event was Stanford in 1922, when James Davies and Phillip Neer won the championship.