Cancer-Stricken Boy Provides Perspective to Maryland Football Team

As the boy and his grandfather entered the gate to the Maryland football practice field one early September afternoon, a coach shouting instructions to young men empowered by muscle and privilege broke protocol and sprinted toward the new audience members. Jack, how're you doing, buddy? I need some help with the quarterbacks. Can you run?

Could he run? Of course the boy could run. His shaved head and gaunt frame belied a strength unmatched by any of the behemoths on the field in front of him. The scar that arced over his right eyebrow indicated temporary pain, not permanent limitation. Could he run? You bet.

So Jack Rolle -- an 11-year old battling cancer and diabetes -- paced offensive coordinator James Franklin as the pair ran up to a huddle of Terrapins. Quarterback Chris Turner draped an arm over Rolle's shoulder. Franklin addressed him as if he were one of the guys in pads and a helmet.

This season has been one of disappointment and frustration thus far for Maryland. The Terrapins are 1-3 entering Saturday's ACC opener against Clemson, and their sole victory was an uninspiring triumph over division I-AA James Madison. However, the team has been buoyed by Rolle, whose presence does not eradicate the pain of its shortcomings but rather injects perspective into a group whose status often is dependent upon performance in a game.

In between periods of that September practice, senior defensive lineman Travis Ivey walked over to Rolle on the sideline and initiated a conversation. The 6-foot-4, 325-pound defensive tackle was struck by the confidence and articulateness of his 4-foot-8, 75-pound counterpart.

"It makes my life seem very small," Ivey said. "When you see somebody going through what he's going through, it really does help me put my life in perspective. It helps me to stay focused and work hard and not take for granted the opportunities that I have. . . . Because you never know when it can be taken from you."

In September 2008, Rolle was constantly thirsty and waking up every hour at night to use the bathroom. His mother, Tracie, a neo-natal nurse in the intensive care unit at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, took him to see a doctor. Tests revealed Rolle had diabetes insipidus, a condition in which the pituitary gland cannot control the hormones that monitor the body's fluid valves. An MRI exam also revealed a suspicious area on the pituitary gland that required monitoring over the next six months.

By March 2009, the area looked enough like a tumor that doctors determined Rolle needed exploratory surgery. A biopsy in May divulged a malignant tumor. Cancer. "It was like the world came to an end for all of us," said Rolle's grandfather, Johnny Holliday, the play-by-play radio announcer for the Maryland football and men's basketball teams.

Except for Jack, that is. He was told he'd have to shave his head. No big deal; he was planning to get a buzz cut during the summer anyway. He was told he'd have to undergo chemotherapy treatments and spend prolonged periods of time in a hospital bed. Okay; do what you have to do.

"It's been hard," Jack said. "But I've gotten through it."

After three months of going to the hospital to get sick and coming home to get well, Jack entered remission. The chemotherapy had removed all visible cancer cells from his body, even though it induced cramping and headaches in the process.

Jack felt well enough to defend his age-group golf title at Congressional Country Club in August, though he did not shoot as low a score as he normally would have. He felt well enough to attend the first day of fifth grade at Mater Dei School. His mom told him he could wear a ballcap to class if he wanted. "Why should I wear a cap?" Jack responded. "I haven't worn one all summer; I'm not wearing one now."