Posted by Joe O
on 8/24/2009, 2:00 am
207.172.201.102
Daily Times Sports: Canfield takes charge of his cancer fight
By Anthony J. SanFilippo
In his 33 years as an umpire in Delaware County, Bob Canfield has never taken guff from anyone. Amid a six-month battle with cancer, why would anyone think his attitude would be different?
Canfield, 58, found out in February he had an advanced form of colon cancer. One doctor in Philadelphia told him he had two years to live.
Not the answer he was looking for.
So he asked his daughter Lisa – a biomedical engineer – to help him find a second opinion. She sent him to the Cancer Center of America on Wyoming Avenue in Philadelphia, where he met a Chicago cancer specialist, Rudolph Willis, who said he would come up with an aggressive plan to attack the disease.
For six months, Canfield has undergone intense radiation treatments. He has been exposed to varying levels of chemotherapy. He has endured kidney failure. He had to persist through a 50-day hospital stay.
At least twice, it looked like he would lose his battle. Yet he fought on.
With Janice, his wife of 35 years and "guardian angel," as he calls her, by his side, Canfield was determined to not let the dreaded disease get him. He vowed to get better.
Slowly, he started to rebound. Then, in April, he decided to go back to the vocation he loved – umpiring.
Unable to actually get out and throw on the gear and get behind the plate, Canfield instead occupied his time managing and assigning the 22 umpire staff in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Umpires Association.
Handling 10 Amateur Softball Association leagues, Canfield made certain to get umpires out to games all across the area, especially in the modified softball leagues, where umps seem to be scarce these days.
When contacted and asked to provide the men in blue for the 26th annual Daily Times Champs 'n' Charity Classic this weekend, a premier fundraising event for the local office of the American Cancer Society, Canfield was more than happy to oblige.
Every umpire who works the modified division will be there … because Bob asked. Some shifted their schedules around. Others just want to help out in the name of charity.
All in all, they're doing it for Bob, because of how well-respected he is in their small circle.
"Being able to get back to running the association was the best thing for me during this whole process," Canfield said, Janice blurting out an "oh yes" in the background. "It brought a sense of normalcy for me. It allowed me to focus on something other than what I was going through."
What he is enduring through is a relatively remarkable recovery.
Before his latest round of treatments, a PET Scan showed he had 41 nodules – or growths — of cancer in his colon. At his latest doctor's appointment, a second scan was done. While sitting in the waiting room and anxiously awaiting the results, his doctor barged through the door and gave him a high five.
His count was down to 11.
"I see a time where you're going to be able to walk out of here cancer-free," Dr. Willis told him.
It's been a remarkable journey for Canfield, who first got involved in umpiring after being held up at gun point as a gas station attendant on West Chester Pike in 1976. He quickly decided he needed to find another line of part-time employment.
After 33 years, Canfield sat down with Janice and talked about retirement.
"I think in another year or so, we should consider retiring from everything," he said.
"Everything?" she asked.
"Yep," he answered. "Everything."
"Even umpiring?" she asked, wanting to be sure.
"No, not umpiring," Bob said. "I meant everything else."
"That's the kind of guy Bob is," said Anthony DiTrolio, one of Canfield's umpiring charges for the past decade. "He's so good at what he does, he'll keep doing it for a long, long time. I learn something new from him about umpiring — or life — every time I talk to him, and I couldn't imagine not doing that with him. I expect he'll still be in my ear for a long, long time to come."
That's Canfield's plan, although he'd rather keep that plan a bit below the radar.
A very private fellow, it took a lot for Canfield to share his story. But there was one reason he ultimately did.
"I don't care what it says about me in this column, but just make sure you let people know that I said don't be afraid to go and get that colonoscopy," Canfield said.
"Tell them to go to the doctor and don't be stupid like I was and think you're indestructible, because you're not.
"If I could get that message across to even one person, then telling my story was worthwhile. Can you make sure that's in there somewhere?"
No problem, Bob.
To reach Anthony J. SanFilippo, e-mail anthonysan37@gmail.com
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