NYDailyNews.com
Bill Gallo
I say in jest when I hear friends complain too much about their infirmities, imagined or real: “Nobody ever got out of this world alive.” This may be a humorous way of disarming ourselves from worrying about the inevitable.
But, on the serious side, we all must wrestle with one thing or another in our lives. The reality is that some damn thing is going to catch up with us. Nobody is immune.
Here’s something I heard (or I might’ve read) from a savvy doctor once: “If you want to live a long life, do not dismay at a sudden and surprising diagnosis, just confront it and take care of it.”
Consider the intrusion of this, your unwelcome malady, something you have to put in its place. It has no respect for social status – rich, poor, famous or obscure. Call it the great leveler of life.
I’m thinking of this because on Wednesday I had a wonderful talk with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who has been tussling with a form of leukemia (there are many) since December of 2008.
But first let me give you a thumbnail sketch of this dedicated man who today is on a quest to help cure a dreaded disease.
Even the best of hoop historians can’t argue the fact that when he was Lew Alcindor and coached by Jack Donohue at Power Memorial Academy in the mid-’60s, this young skinny skyscraper was the best the game of basketball ever produced.
Kareem was the inventor of the sky hook, a shot so graceful and accurate that even ballet dancers such as Mikhail Baryshnikov would have trouble duplicating it.
Donohue, Kareem’s high school coach, was the first to see a smooth-moving athlete at work within the frame of this 7-2 natural courtsman. It was like he was born to run…on hardwood floors.
Before Donohue turned his center over to UCLA’s John Wooden, the lord of college coaches, some of Alcindor’s (still) fame had rubbed off on him. Of course Donohue did get credit for starting off his prize to fame and fortune, but the pupil was already the head of the class at Power Memorial’s gymnasium.
To go on with stats and all of Kareem’s accomplishments on the court would take an avalanche of words, so I ask you to look him up in the record books. I’ll go on to tell you what road Abdul-Jabbar’s great dedication is taking these days.
At a time when high-priced athletes may be afflicted with unabashed narcissism, here is a quiet, private man who once dominated the basketball court, doing all he can to promote the possible healing for millions of people suffering from leukemia.
Kareem, who is 63, is asking his supporters to join him in taking a shot (whether at three-point range, jump shot, layup or from the foul line) at beating cancer by joining “Team Kareem.” In short he has partnered with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) to create his national team whose aim is to raise money for cancer research through participation in LLS’ annual “Light The Night Walk.”
In my talk with Kareem he stressed that his leukemia, when taken care of, does not have to be life-threatening. “The trick is to stay on top if it,” he says. “And there is always that thought of doing everything my doctors tell me to do.”
I asked him how he felt when he first heard the news of his illness. “I had one bad weekend after I learned it, and certainly was in a depressed state,” he said.
But, luckily for him, Kareem has a wonderful middle son who spent a lot of time encouraging his father, telling him all he learned about the phases of leukemia.
At the time, Kareem’s son, Amir, 29, was a medical student, soon to be a full-fledged doctor and a source of great pride for his father. “Amir talked to me as if he was the father and I was the son,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “He cleared my head of any doubts, telling me what my doctors later told me … that it was just a disease to be taken care of and that doing the right things would not affect my life in any way.
“My son was my savior that weekend. The all-weekend advice I got from him washed away the worry from my mind.”
Kareem’s project, “The Light the Night Walks,” are held on fall evenings in communities across the country. More than 250,000 people participate in the walks to help raise funds for vital, life-saving research.
Kareem will join the walk at the Brooklyn Bridge on Thursday, Oct 14. And, he’ll walk as straight and tall and full of purpose as he ever did on the court.
“I give my time and effort because cancer research is the trump card,” says a hopeful Abdul-Jabbar.
For those who wish to join or make a contribution, here’s the info: Go to… www.lightthenight.org/teamkareem
Do it. You’ll feel good about it.
