GREELEY — His University of Northern Colorado team had lost 41-0. It was yet another dismal performance for the once-proud Bears, and it was going to be a quiet ride home from Utah. But sorry, nothing was going to wipe the smile off Curtis Truett’s face.
The Utes might have beaten up on Truett’s Bears on Aug. 30, but he had just scored a victory over cancer. A week later, Truett was smiling again, this time without a trace of guilt. The Bears’ 12-game losing streak was over, but more important, Truett’s winning steak against cancer was another week longer.
Quite the change from two years ago, when the former Smoky Hill linebacker was told by doctors he had Stage 2 testicular cancer. Instead of a normal sophomore year of college, Truett’s curriculum now included chemotherapy. There would be no more football, doctors told him, not for quite a while, maybe ever. Forget about football. Staying alive was the short-term goal.
“It was definitely scary, getting told that word,” Truett said. “But what I’ve been raised on is that nothing breaks you down.”
The credit for that goes to Truett’s parents, Ed and Emelia. A survivor of thyroid cancer herself, Emelia Truett had a positive case history for her youngest of three boys to draw upon for inspiration.
“You just never think it’ll happen to your own children. We were disabused of that notion in a big way, and it was tough,” said Emelia, who today is healthy and works in the financial industry. “But he was so positive. He has a friend, Woody Roseland, who also was going through chemo at the same time and was and is a tremendous inspiration to him. They inspire us all.”
Truett, a senior majoring in criminal justice, plays mostly on special teams. Although he doesn’t get on the field much, his presence in uniform is inspiring to teammates and his coach, Earnest Collins Jr.
“Truett is what team football is all about,” Collins said. “He’s what success is all about, as far as fighting and battling back. He didn’t let his cancer get him down, and that kid works his tail off. He’ll play any position you ask him to play. He’s one of those kids you love to have on your football team.”
Truett’s cancer, one of the most common among young men but also one of the most curable if caught early, is in remission. He must get a blood test every two months and a CT scan every six months.
“You just don’t know. You always have a little fear every (checkup),” Emelia said. “But it’s been two years of remission. It’s made him stronger, and he’s always been a nice kid, but since this happened he’s a little nicer. He doesn’t sweat the small stuff anymore.”
Said father, Ed: “I think his perseverance has been the most impressive thing to me. He could have walked away from the team and said, ‘Hey, this is way too tough for me to have to put up with.’ But he wanted so much to get on the field again.”
When that happened Aug. 30, for the first time since 2009, the previous time he played in a game, Truett had achieved victory — no matter what happened against Utah.
“It was a battle, and it’s not over, but I know I can handle most anything now,” Truett said.
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360, adater@denverpost.com or
