A Fighting Spirit: Daniel Boone’s Stephen Spitko an inspiration amid cancer battle

UNION >> He’s no stranger to dealing with tough opponents.

Stephen Spitko has been doing that in his capacity as a schoolboy wrestler. None measure up, though, to the ordeal he’s facing at present.

Spitko was diagnosed with T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia at the tail-end of his freshman season with Daniel Boone’s wrestling team. Besides cutting into what had been a promising campaign, the illness has forced Spitko to undergo a treatment program that’s expected to last three years.

But he’s facing the challenge with the same grit and determination he displays on the mats.

“I’m glad to be back,” Spitko said prior to Boone’s Berks Conference duel with Exeter last Wednesday. “There’s a lot of work to do. I still have goals.

“It’s tough, but I have to deal with it.”

Spitko’s leukemia is currently in remission after chemotherapy treatments. He is now in a “maintenance” program that will require him to get chemo monthly, and a spinal tap every three months, at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) facility in King of Prussia.

“It’s a lot better,” Spitko said of his physical condition. “I’m still getting chemo, but it’s not as harsh.

“While I’m on chemo, I have to watch (activity level). What I do depends on how I feel.”

The ordeal hasn’t prevented Spitko from resuming a high-octane pace on the mats this winter. He holds a 4-1 record following Boone’s 39-28 win Wednesday over Exeter — a victory secured by him, a pin 61 seconds into the 106-pound bout clinching the victory — and Thursday’s 63-15 victory over Oley Valley.

In his return to action the previous weekend, Spitko went 2-1 in the Tom Best Memorial Top Hat tournament at Willamsport. He scored a 38-second drop in one of two early pins he recorded at 106, and his loss in the championship bout was by a mere two points.

“He’s still going as hard as he can,” Boone head coach James Hogan, who previously coached Spitko in the Blazer Mat Club, noted. “I think he appreciates it more. It was hard for him to see the other boys on the mats. He’s not taking anything for granted.”

As a true freshman in 2017, Spitko went 29-6 while finishing third in the District 3-AAA Section 1 tournament. In the Southcentral AAA Regional, his season ended with a 1-2 finish at Hershey’s Giant Center.

Though the leukemia diagnosis cost him the 2018 wrestling season, Spitko was granted another year of eligibility by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA). He will now graduate as a member of Boone’s Class of 2021 and have three more seasons and pursue his mat goals.

“Hershey is my ultimate goal for the season,” he said.

The Daniel Boone community was overwhelming strong in support of Spitko’s battle. A GoFundMe account was set up to help his family cover the costs of his medical treatments, and orange “Spitko Strong” T-shirts were made and sold as more evidence of its backing.

Through it all, Spitko is maintaining a low-key mindset as he works to get his life back on a normal footing.

“He’s not one for the limelight,” Hogan said. “Steve’s approaching it like people approach a cold. You won’t get anything more different from him.

“He’s an inspiration to the other kids. When something doesn’t go well for them, they look at what Stephen’s facing, and it puts things in perspective. Nothing needs to be said.”

Spitko’s approach to his recovery has also made an impact on his academic life. He was recently accorded distinguished honors in school,

“From my experience with Stephen, his attitude never changes,” Hogan said. “He’s approaching it one day at a time.

“He’s never been ‘Why me?’ even though he could be. He’s kept a good, solid foundation, never changing. With him, it’s ‘let’s go after it.’”

As part of his regimen, Stephen works to maintain a healthy diet (“no junk food,” he said). He figures to stay at the 106-pound weight class for the current season.

“It will be easier when we get the two-pound allowance,” he said.

Spitko’s health issues have hit particularly close to home for Hogan, whose daughter is facing a critical medical issue of her own.

“I can relate to what Stephen and his parents are going through,” he said. “I’m pleased Stephen has the ability to get better.”