Princeton Rugby News:

The Toughest Fight of All

Throughout his remarkable scholastic career, Stu Rickerson was a picture of persistence.

A 1967 graduate and member of the inaugural Ridge Athletic Hall of Fame, Rickerson is one of only a few players in school history to weather injuries, exhaustion and other demanding factors and play every quarter of varsity ball from freshman through senior years.

Now, Rickerson is trying to win his toughest fight of all.

In January of 2005, Rickerson thought he had a stomach flu that had been lingering throughout his house, affecting his wife and daughter. But when antibiotics didn't work and his face started to turn yellow due to jaundice, Rickerson was blindsided with news harder than the fierce blows he experienced as a halfback on the football field. He was told he had pancreatic cancer.

"I almost fell off my chair," said Rickerson, whose experience working for several pharmaceutical and medical device companies gave him plenty of background knowledge about the pancreas. "I thought it was just hepatitis, which is pretty bad, but when the doctor told me it was pancreatic cancer, my wife and I went into shock."

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States. It has the highest mortality rate of all the major cancers -- only 5 percent of patients survive more than five years and 76 percent die within the first year of diagnosis. Unlike many other forms of cancer, there is no early-detection method or cure for the disease. Recently the disease has claimed the lives of Patrick Swayze, NCAA president Myles Brand, NFL Hall of Famer Gene Upshaw, and former New Jersey Nets coach Chuck Daly. About one in 75 people develops pancreatic cancer, and about half will die within six months of diagnosis. The risk is about the same for both men and women, and cuts across all socioeconomic groups and most cultures in the country.

Days after the diagnosis, Rickerson was scheduled to undergo the Whipple Procedure, which is an operation designed to remove tumors in the pancreas along with sections of the stomach, small intestines, duodenum and other structures. Rather than focus on the daunting odds with which he was facing, Rickerson wanted a more pleasurable experience – he was off to the happiest place on Earth.

"I told my wife, I don't want to think about financial planning, wills or estate work. We were going to Disneyland," said Rickerson, who relocated to California in the mid-1990s. "The last thing I wanted to remember is my daughter's smiling face."

Rickerson has had the opportunity to see his daughter's beaming face many times since that operation as well as numerous other procedures, rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. Over five years later, the 61-year-old Rickerson appears to have beaten the statistics, and many have benefited from his remarkable turnaround.

Rickerson has made it a priority to give back to the schools and groups that have given him plenty of positive memories that continue to grow.

Several benefactors have been several students with ties to Ridge. Each year, Rickerson is part of a committee that rewards one student with a $5,000 Ridge Alumni Memorial Scholarship as part of an endowment fund. The selection group looks for a graduating senior who overcame significant adversity while demonstrating integrity, character and growth during his or her time at the school and wants to make a difference.

Rickerson said he helped start the grant in honor of John Peterson, a well-respected classmate who lost his life in the Vietnam War. Peterson wasn't a high achiever in the classroom but mastered other activities and never had the chance to showcase his skills after graduation.

"There are so many people like John who were so important in the lives of those around them," he said. "Originally we didn't know how much we were going to raise but I've been overwhelmed and gratified by the support we've received." About 20 students have submitted applications for the grant. Rickerson would like to see the stipend go toward someone with unique skills like the next American Idol or the next great novelist. "There are so many costs beyond high school, and there are a lot of economic challenges these days, even among residents of Basking Ridge," said Rickerson, who also was an all-state track athlete at the high school. "This is a way to give these students the kinds of opportunities we had."

Rickerson also remains active in the collegiate ranks. On April 10, Rickerson, a 1971 graduate of Princeton University, will be in attendance for the fourth annual New Jersey Men's Intercollegiate Rugby Tournament and second annual New Jersey Women's Invitational Rugby Tournament at West Windsor Fields off of Washington Road, between Route 1 and the center of Princeton. The games start 10 a.m. with the championship scheduled to start at 3:15 p.m. Every state men's collegiate rugby team has been invited including Princeton University, Montclair State University, Rowan University, the College of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Drew University, and William Paterson to win the Rickerson Cup, which was named for the Tigers alumnus.

The women will also compete in a four-team knockout tournament featuring Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, the College of New Jersey and Albright College. While there is no charge for admission or parking, Rickerson has set up a donation page (http://www.firstgiving.com/rickersoncup-njrugbychampionships) and the tournament will feature plenty of information about tournament partners Thomas Jefferson University and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, an organization for which Rickerson has volunteered his valuable resources.

One of the Princeton players, Elaine Bigelow, lost her father Doug to the disease and understands the remarkable battle Rickerson and others like him have endured.

"You don't need to study biostatistics to conclude that the more research funding deadly cancers get, the fewer deaths result," Bigelow said. "Tragically, opposite is also true. Pancreatic cancer is near the bottom of both private and federal research funding, receiving far less than other far less lethal cancers. As a result, pancreatic cancer is near the top in patient deaths, with about 100 people dying from it every day of the year."

Rickerson doesn't hide the fact he's still battling an illness and while the tumors aren't detectible by doctors, the disease is still there. He sends out a bi-annual newsletter called "Stu's Crew" to communicate how he's feeling with friends and family. The updates help alleviate the fear some people have of constantly asking him how he's doing.

"It saves you and spouse time from constantly going through all the bad parts," he said. "I'd rather save energy and spend more attention on myself in getting better."

Rickerson cites a quote said to him by one of the inventors of the defibrillator, who also overcame adversity in creating one of the medical community's greatest achievements.

"This is not a bump in the road, this is the road," he said. "I feel way better than a lot of the others with pancreatic cancer can feel and I'm thankful everyday to have more time to spend with my family."

*Editor's Note: Todd Cohen is a volunteer for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.