Whitko High School Athletic Director and boys basketball coach Rob Irwin is back home after a week-long stay at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne.
Irwin entered the hospital on Jan. 31 to begin a week of chemotherapy, administered through a consistent drip, and help put his case of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia into remission.Thanks to a Dec. 20 annual physical, Irwin's family doctor noticed his white blood cell count was down and requested a new blood test be taken three weeks later. The second test was conducted on Jan. 10, and four days later, he learend that his red blood cell count and platelet count were also low, at which point he was instructed to go to Fort Wayne Oncology on Jan. 20, where he had a bone marrow biopsy performed, searching for leukemia.
Through the biopsy, it was revealed that Irwin had Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, also known as Hairy Cell Leukemia.
According to mayoclinic.com, "Hairy cell leukemia is a rare, slow-growing cancer of the blood in which your bone marrow makes too many B cells (lymphocytes), a type of white blood cell that fights infection. These excess B cells are abnormal and look 'hairy' under a microscope. As the number of leukemia cells increases, fewer healthy white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets are produced."
This form of leukemia usually affects patients with an average age of 60 and accounts for only 2 percent of all blood cancers.
The disease is rare but has a high success rate for recovery. Although it's not curable, chemotherapy generally puts the leukemia in remission for years.
Irwin began his chemotherapy on Jan. 31, with two IVs giving him a constant drip, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
With journal entries left by his wife, Anne Irwin, visitors to caringbridge.org can see how Rob's stay in the oncology wing of Lutheran Hospital went.
According to her daily posts, Rob Irwin seemed almost more concerned with how his Whitko boys basketball team was doing than with his condition.
By Saturday, Irwin began to feel the affects of the chemotherapy, resulting in severe nausea and body aches.
However, by Monday, he was able to eat some toast and crackers, allowing him to leave at 1 p.m.
"He was hoping to go home, but wasn't feeling the greatest," his mother, Mary Ann Irwin, said about Rob, who had lost 10 pounds during his stay.
Mary Ann Irwin also expressed her son's desire to get back to the sideline, hoping to be coaching one month after his hospital exit.
"He's hoping to be back by the sectional," she said. "No one can really tell though, but we're optimistic. No one really knows how his body will fight this."
Side effects from the chemotherapy, such as hair loss, may not appear for two weeks.
Until he is able to return, Mike Kline will patrol the sideline for the Whitko Wildcats.
"He's received so much support from the (Whitko) staff and kids," Mary Ann said. "They're all pitching in. It's been hard for Logan, because (Friday's 64-51 win over North Miami) was the first time his dad wasn't there."
With 1,392 career points, Logan is just 82 points away from matching 1991 graduate and former Michigan State player Steve Nicodemus' school record for career points. And with the Wildcats sitting at No. 3 in Class 3A with a 13-2 record, Rob Irwin is eager to get back to work.
"With their record, only losing two games, he's still hoping for a good season with the sectional and on to the regional," Mary Ann said. "The kids also want to make it a special season. He'll do what he can do."
The Whitko Wildcats are back on the court Saturday, taking on the Manchester Squires on Senior Day. On top of honoring the team's seniors, the Whitko Student Council has also designated the day "Rob Irwin Day", with money raised going to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
