Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia occurs when blood cells develop error in the DNA, causing 58 percent of the cells to become cancerous. So, when UNO Sports Announcer Mark Wilhelm was made aware of his diagnosis, it changed every factor of his life from that point on.
Wilhelm noted the immediate physical effects the virus began to have on his body, stating, “I couldn’t function. I couldn’t get up half a flight of stairs without having to stop. My body just didn’t work.”
Amongst spending every waking moment fighting this disease, he has not strayed away from what mattered most to him in the first place.
Wilhelm stated the deeper meaning behind his treatment, noting that, “I in fact feel a little bit selfish. I’m battling cancer but I’m doing it because I want to live. I want to be part of my family. I want to be part of the community.”
As his battle with cancer advances, Wilhelm’s support from various Omaha sport organizations has shown how he has become part of something bigger than he imagined.
Ethan Anderson, an official from Omaha Athletics, expresses his sincere praises to Wilhelm, stating, “To have that attitude. To work hard. You don’t find that all the time, so we’ve been blessed to have a guy like mark on our side.”
Despite having a 40 percent chance of surviving chemotherapy treatment, Wilhelm dedicates himself to seeing it through and knows that survival means more than just living another day.
“To me I can’t quit. I have to continue fighting because there are people that love me. To let them down would be letting me down. I can’t quit because of them, and I won’t,” said Wilhelm.
