It's Just Part of Living - A High School Teacher Reflects on His Testicular Cancer Journey

Daniel Makarewicz was diagnosed with testicular cancer on August 11, 2010, at the age of 24. At the time, he was a sports reporter at the Dispatch and the Rock Island Argus in Moline, Illinois. His urologist recommended emergency surgery to remove his left testicle, which was eventually classified as Stage 1. Following chemo and surveillance, he was deemed a survivor on June 11, 2020, his last checkup with oncologists.

Daniel shares many stories of his life before, during, and after his testicular cancer diagnosis, including that of a mysterious donor who left envelopes for him at his parents' house with brief but meaningful messages and cash over a two-year period.

Learn more about his transition from journalism to teaching and his perspective on life worth hearing.

Thank you for listening to Don't Give Up on Testicular Cancer from the Max Mallory Foundation. 

Transcript

Opening

Welcome to Don't Give Up on Testicular Cancer, a podcast where testicular cancer survivors, caregivers, and others who have navigated the cancer journey share their stories. The podcast comes to you from the Max Mallory Foundation, a nonprofit family foundation focused on educating about testicular cancer in honor and in memory of Max Mallory, who died in 2016 at the young age of 22 from testicular cancer. Had he survived, Max wanted to help young adults

with cancer. This podcast helps meet that goal. Here now is your host, Joyce Lofstrom, Max's mom and a young adult cancer survivor.

Joyce Lofstrom

Daniel Makarewicz was diagnosed with testicular cancer on August 11, 2010, at the age of 24. At the time, he was a sports reporter at the Dispatch and the Rock Island Argus in Moline, Illinois. His urologist recommended emergency surgery to remove his left testicle that was eventually classified as Stage 1. Following chemo and surveillance, he was deemed a survivor on June 11, 2020, his last checkup with oncologists. 

So, Daniel, I'm so glad that you could join me today to share your story. So, welcome. 

Daniel Makarewicz

Thank you for having me.  I really appreciate the opportunity to talk about something that impacted my life, and hopefully, we can get to a point where it's not impacting so many others’ lives.

I pray to God each day that that happens because, as you know, cancer sucks, and we got to find a way to get rid of it. 

Joyce Lofstrom

I agree one hundred percent. So, tell us your story. Anything you want to share? 

Daniel Makarewicz

Well, I'll have to go back to when I was, the summer before 7th, 8th, and 9th grade. I attended the University of Missouri basketball camp in Columbia, Missouri, and every year they had a guest.

They had various coaches come in from various high schools. One of the coaches, his name was Dave Porter;  he coached at Lafayette High School in Baldwin, Missouri. So, kind of a western suburb of St. Louis. 

Joyce Lofstrom

Mm-hmm.  

Daniel Makarewicz

But he came in, and he spoke to the campers about a young man who was a player of his named Jason Struble.

And Jason was ultimately diagnosed and succumbed to testicular cancer. And I'll never forget the story, the message, everything like that because I had never known at the time, I'm 13, 14 years old. I had never known that you could get testicular cancer. And he spoke about it, and it was the same story each year, but it was still impactful.

I never forgot it. And we would get these placards that we could hang on the shower and do self-checking. And so, I was familiar with it in high school and in college. And because of Coach Porter, I was able to know that this was something that could happen and knew how to kind of check for it.

I have tried and tried to get in touch with him and have been unsuccessful with it because I'll just never forget him. His story, Jason Struble. And I know that this that it was like in the early ‘90s, I think, through some research that I had done, that it was the early ‘90s that this all went down. But he told the story, and it was just something I never forgot.

And when it came time to check, I started noticing my left testicle was enlarged in May of 2010, and I'm 24 years old. And, and I just knew something wasn't right, but I just kind of kept it under wraps because you think you're mature at 24, but you really aren't. And the thing that scared me the most is whenever you get a cancer diagnosis, all you hear about are people getting bankrupt and not having any money, and they're, they're doing fundraisers and everything like that.

We have created a society in which, you know, people and companies get rich off of cancer. They can't produce something that's economical. They have to produce something that is costly so that they can make a profit. That's what's always kind of frustrating with me, but I was just really nervous about saying something because I'm like, I'm 24.

How am I, how am I going to pay for all this? And, and that's what scared me the most. But I'll never forget it. I was driving to Mattoon, Illinois, to cover the American Legion Great Lakes Regional, and I'm on I-57 between Champaign and Mattoon. And my mom calls me, and she said, hey, your dad had a colonoscopy, and I just wanted to let you know that it came back.

Everything's good. So, we're in the clear with that.

And I said, well, Mom, I think I may have a problem. I said, my left testicle is huge.  And I had noticed it for almost three months. And so, I get to Mattoon, and my mom is just like, you've got to see a doctor. You have to get this checked out.

Well, I'm on an assignment, and you know, my number one priority is covering Moline, the American Legion team that just won state. They won it in Crystal Lake, and I went down to Mattoon to cover it, and I could have been there for two days. I could have been there for 60 days. And so, I call and get an appointment with a local doctor at like convenient care, whatever is a care clinic in Mattoon.

And because I couldn't just go see a urologist, I had to get referred to a urologist. So, I go, and I see the doctor. I don't remember his name in that too. And he thought it was a hydrocele because he shined a light through my scrotum, and he could see the light kind of coming through there, but I could feel like some growth, like kind of going up toward my abdomen.

So, he referred me to a urologist back in the Quad Cities, and Moline ended up winning the tournament. They won the Great Lakes Regional, so they were advanced in the American Legion World Series. It was in Spokane, Washington. 

Joyce Lofstrom

Mm-hmm. 

Daniel Makarewicz

So that was on a Monday that they won. Tuesday was when my appointment was.

His name was Dr. McKay in Davenport, Iowa. And I get back to the Quad Cities, and my mom came up. My mom is a retired teacher, but at the time, she was still teaching. She came up and went to the appointment with me. I saw Dr. McKay, and he ended up getting an ultrasound. So, we got an ultrasound, and I thought I was kind of in the clear because he wasn't super concerned at the time. But he was maybe more so just to kind of ease my anxiety.

But I remember my mom, and I went to lunch, and she went, my parents live in Quincy, that's where I grew up, Quincy, Illinois. So, she goes back to Quincy, and I went to the office and booked the trip to Spokane. I booked a flight hotel, rental car, and all that sort of stuff. The next, I wasn't supposed to leave until Thursday, and the next day I got up and I was going to go to Des Moines.

My uncle was the CEO of the Iowa State Fair. And I was going to go to Des Moines and go to the state fair for 24 hours before I left to go to Spokane. And I just remember. It was a Wednesday. I just remember that like, I was going to get a bad phone call. Like I didn't have very, like, I didn't have positive vibes about it.

And it was like 8 o'clock in the morning. I went in, I took a shower, and I got out. I checked my phone. He is calling a voicemail, and it was Dr. McKay, and he said it was cancer. You got to come in. We got to talk, we got to, we got to get this figured out. 

So, I call my mom, and, and then I go to Dr. McKay’s office, and he tells me, and he’s like you got to, we got to have surgery, and there's a spot on tomorrow at 10 o'clock.

Joyce Lofstrom

Oh, wow.

Daniel Makarewicz

And so, okay, we got to do this. And my mom and my dad came up from Quincy, and one of my mom's older sisters,  she lives in Bloomington and she was a C-level employee. I can't remember if it was the chief executive officer or chief financial officer at one of the hospitals in Bloomington. So, she came over as well.

And you know, I have testicular, I have testicular cancer, and all I know is I'm going to have surgery for. I remember sitting in my apartment in Davenport, Iowa. I'm just like, we got to get out of here. We, we got to go do something. I'm just sitting here and feeling sorry.

It's just not going to really help us. So, we ended up going to Chili's that night. Didn't really say much, but so that was, that was how the entire process started, and the next day surgery was at 10. And the only time I was ever really like freaked out was I remember walking from the waiting room into the operating room. And my mom was with me, and she opened this door, and my oldest sister was there. And I just saw it kind of caught her eye and she just, I could just kind of tell she wasn't, it wasn't a good day.

Joyce Lofstrom 

Right. 

Daniel Makarewicz

But I walk, I walk into the OR, and that's when it was real. And I had had surgery before. Now, up to that point, the only surgery I had was I got tonsils removed and so like surgery, but not, that's surgery to just, that's a basic surgery. You know, this one, they're removing a part of a body that isn't intended to be messed with, and I just remember walking in there, and you see all the, the tools and everything.

I'm like, wow, this is real. That's where I kind of started to freak out a little bit, and the anesthesiologist was late. He was coming over from another. And I just remember, he's like, well, I'm going to give you something that I typically give after we are knocked out because it's kind of potent.

And I just remember him getting down, I was like, oh wow. This is this is interesting. And so, I had surgery. I walked out of there. I walked in at, at 8 a.m., I think. I walked out of there about noon, 1 o'clock. And you know, that was, that was the 24-hour whirlwind. I guess it was 48 hours from seeing Dr. McKay and getting checked out there to the surgery and having that removed.

So, it was it was an interesting experience and I just remember my mom asking me, she's like, well, how long had you noticed this? And I said, since May. She's like, I can't believe that you didn't say anything. And I said, well, mom, I just didn't want to go bankrupt or whatever. And she's just like, you have health insurance.

Daniel Makarewicz

You know, that's the whole point of it. And besides my urologist and whoever was in that operating room, my mom was the only other person that saw it. And it was like, it was like a grapefruit down there. It was, it was, it was huge. And again, I had noticed it and there were a lot of sleepless nights.

What am I going to do? Because it's just like, you hope it's something that goes away. And obviously, it wasn't. And you know, it took my dad having a colonoscopy for me to say something about it. Because it was, you know, I would've handled it differently at 34 as opposed to 24. And that's just not something that you really expect to have to deal with 

Joyce Lofstrom 

Yeah. You know, you're not the only person I've talked to that has said the same thing about health insurance and money, and worrying about, you know, how to pay for it. It's, it's too bad that we all have to think that way, that you can't go for the care that you want because of that.

But you had mentioned to me in our earlier correspondence that you won't ever forget the doctor's moment, I guess, when he told you or he talked to you about this. Can you go down that road for us 

Daniel Makarewicz

Dr. McKay had an atrocious bedside manner. He was just not good in terms of bedside manner. However, as a doctor, and as a surgeon, he was excellent. So, he wasn't the warm and fuzzy type, But he made sure to do everything that he thought needed to be done in order to get the right diagnosis.

And then with the surgery and everything, all was well with that. And then, luckily, I had a friend in the Quad Cities who was a massage therapist, and she knew of an oncologist that I should meet up with. And his name was Dr. Mercer an Iowa cancer specialist in Davenport.

He was a fantastic oncologist who just had a great bedside manner and didn't take himself too seriously.  Sometimes with doctors, you get some elitist, some country club types, but he was, he seemed like a blue-collar, blue-collar guy, liked motorcycles, and could really relate very well to me.

And I really admired and respected him. He was awesome, and he wasn't it's my way or the highway. He was, he let me make decisions and was open about things like that. And I will forever respect Dr. McKay because he handled it how it should have been.

And I can look past the, the bedside manner. But he, he did exactly what he was supposed to, and I'll always respect him for that. And, you know, Dr. Mercer is somebody that I had a lot of respect for as well. 

Joyce Lofstrom 

So, you did one round of chemo, right? Is that right? 

Daniel Makarewicz

Yes. So, initially, Mercer had recommended radiation, and my mom and dad always made…

One of them came up to the Quad Cities whenever I had an appointment and, you know, Quincy (to the) Quad Cities, was 2-1/2 hours, so that's five hours in a car. And so, the appointment that I had with the radiation oncologist, I told my parents, I said, don't worry about coming to this one.

You know, don't worry. I can take care of it. And it was Dr. Vigliotti. He had a very distinct Italian accent, and he was an awesome guy too. And I remember him walking in, and he's just like, you know, Dr. Mercer has recommended radiation, and you're 24. And I just don't feel comfortable giving somebody 24 years old radiation because we don’t know the long-term effects. You 

know, if you're 60, we're not going to worry about that. But you're 24, and I just don't feel comfortable doing that. 

I'm just, I remember leaving that appointment freaking out a little bit because okay, what path do I take? What direction do I go.

So, I went back and met with Dr. Mercer, my oncologist, and he said, to get a second opinion. You have to do what, what's best for you. Get a second opinion. And my mom, older sister Anna, the one that came over to the Quad Cities when I was diagnosed, and my mom's younger brother Tom, we call him T. He worked at St. Francis Hospital in Peoria, (Illinois), and knew a renowned cancer specialist there. 

He got me an appointment, or the two of them got me an appointment. His name was Dr. Fishkin at the Illinois Cancer Center in Peoria. And he laid out the treatment options for me. I believe there were three. And he said, you know, this is, you know, you could just do where you're at.

 There wasn't a lot of spreading, but it would be good, you know, so you could just blood test, and we'll see where it goes. Or you can do I forget what the third one was, but the second one was you would, you know, have chemo, and we would've, you know, it could be one, it could be four rounds, we don't know.

But we would start with one and kind of see where, where it went from there. And that's what we ended up doing. I ended up having the chemo in Peoria. And I just remember it was a, it was a Monday morning when that went down. And I remember walking into that room and just seeing all the patients in there, people with a port. That was hard.

That's when it's real that you’re, this is actually happening. And I remember sitting next to a guy, and he didn't look like he was feeling sorry for himself. He just was on his computer just kind, chilling and doing that. But, you know, they gave me anti-nausea medication.  

And then I remember the doctors like, you know, this would be good for you to use if you ever are hungover, just that there are a couple of extra pills you can take these. It’ll kind of help with the hangover.

But they did recommend 10 years of surveillance, which was you know, that one was, that one was so hard because you are still worried. Are they going to find something, to get everything? But I remember Dr. Fishkin saying, you know, here are the survival rates for, you know, I can't remember if it was semi or non-seminoma.  For some, I want to say, I had, it was the opposite of what Lance Armstrong had 

It wasn't as aggressive. Mine didn't, it didn't spread, it just spread a little bit into my abdomen. It had really attacked lymph nodes too much. But he was like, he had like a 98.3% success rate with this. And, you know, 98.3 is pretty, those are pretty good, pretty good odds in there. But I'll just, you know, never forget.  I got to mention my grandma here.

My grandpa Makarewicz died on July 1st, 2010. So about six weeks before I was diagnosed, he passed away. And when I got diagnosed, my grandma said, you know, how much is your, out-of-pocket? Like, what's the cap on your out-of-pocket? And I said, well, grandma it’s $2,000. And she said I'll send a check for a thousand dollars to take care of that.

And you know, my Grandma was, and she passed in 2018, but my grandma was a child of the Depression. And my Grandpa wasn't one that really liked to spend money. He was a cheap Polish guy from St. Louis, and I loved Grandpa, but he was he, he lived frugally. Grandma was a little bit more willing to help out. 

And I'll just never forget that because, you know, she just buried her, her husband, you know, her life was kind of in a turmoil a little bit and, you know, she did that. I'll never forget her for that. She didn't have to. But that just kind of eased some anxiety there. And if you want a description of, you know, Grandma Makarewicz was, you know, that was her right there.

She helped others, and she did it without staying there. She was kind of under, she was kind of low-key with that, and I'll just I was never able to repay her. The best thing I could do for her was she was an important person in my life, and I stayed in touch with her as best I could. But I wish I could have repaid her in some way. But I just never, you know, never forgot that.

And then in another story, I have, you know, I had some, I still kind of struggle with mental health issues. You know, my self-confidence is kind of low because I have a six-inch star down there. I have one testicle, and that's always been a problem for me because I feel deformed a little bit.

Joyce Lofstrom

Mm-hmm. 

Daniel Makarewicz

But I was kind of struggling one day, and my mom texted me. I was, I remember I was covering a soccer game because I was still at the game. And my mom, it's just like, hey, you need to call me asap. 

And she, so I called her, and she said, you know, I was checking the mail today, and somebody put in a blank envelope with a hundred dollars bill and a note. I still have the note after this, but just said, you'll beat this. 

And randomly for a couple of years, this person would leave a hundred dollars bill or a $50 bill at my parents' house. And I, to this day, have no idea who it's, but the person knew, like a couple of years after I got sick, I bought a house and, you know, congrats on the new house, you bought, you know, do something with it.

And I would say, just randomly over the course of a couple of years, it was probably close to a thousand dollars that this person left me. And I to this day have no idea who it is, and I have all the notes that this person left, but you know, that was something good that happened out of it. And you know, the positives there of just people looking out for others and thinking about others before they think about themselves.

That's just something that's really, really kind of, you know, stuck with me through that process. 

Joyce Lofstrom 

That's an amazing story, Daniel. Wow, how nice. I mean, and you still don't know who it was, so, and I think your Grandma, she probably was, the gift she had was that you were still around. I mean, I, you know. 

Daniel Makarewicz

So, yeah, and you know, that was, it was hard cause you know, my mom's parents, her father passed away in 1970, so I never got to meet him. And my mom's family called her Grammy, a wonderful woman. She died in 2005. And I miss her to this day. I miss my grandparents to this day. But my grandpa, his death was hard because he was the only Grandpa that I ever met. 

He was a good man who I just remember when the Cardinals won the World Series in 2006. You know, he was the first person I called and when the Blues won the Stanley Cup in 2019. I had gone to Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Dallas Stars with my Uncle T, and we got these rally flags, the rally towels, and when the Blues won the Stanley Cup. I have an aunt and uncle, my grandfather, my grandparents lived in Sedalia, Missouri. And I sent my aunt and uncle the rally towel just because he was a big Blues fan too. And the fact they won, you know, I was thinking of my Grandpa when they won, they won the Stanley Cup.

That was the first thing that came to my mind was, you know, Grandpa would love this because he was just, you know, his passion for St. Louis sports. I think my writing ability came from my grandpa because, he could write really good letters and he was a very articulate person and, you know, his loss was hard.

And then, you know, I knew something was wrong with me at the funeral and everything like that, but I just didn't know how to deal with it. Like again, at 24 years old, you're not capable of emotionally or mentally to be able to handle grown-up things. You think you are, but you're just, you're just not.

Joyce Lofstrom

Yeah, I agree. 

Daniel Makarewicz

And it was, it was good. It was good that my parents, you know, were supportive of that. And, I have two older sisters, they were incredibly supportive of it as well. But you know, I had outside people who, I mean, again, this person left me a thousand dollars. I couldn't, the only thing I know was it was somebody, I played football in high school.

 It was somebody because he had. Cryptically put, you know, your friend on the line or you know, a former teammate referred to me as captain because I was captain my senior year. So, he knew that. But yeah, to this day, I don't I wish I would know, and hopefully, they see this and will know how much it meant to me and how much I appreciated it.

 Joyce Lofstrom

Yeah. So, what was your biggest challenge, do you think, through the chemo and the surgery and all of that? 

 Daniel Makarewicz

I think it was just staying mentally tough. That was a struggle. I think it is kind of magnified. I've struggled with anxiety and depression throughout my adult life. I think that kind of magnified it a little bit because while I'm grateful to have beat it, there was, you know the six-inch scar down there, and the one testicle like that still to this day bothers me.

And I know like outsiders would say, well, you beat it. You should be happy. And I am. But it's still kind of a reminder of what I have to go through. You know, every day you see it, you know? Getting out of the shower, and you see it putting on clothes, you see it. And I mean, I guess it would be from a female perspective, it would be having a mastectomy.

 Joyce Lofstrom

Yeah. 

 Daniel Makarewicz

With, with, with breast cancer. And that's just the, the hard part, you know? 

 Joyce Lofstrom

I know.  

Daniel Makarewicz

You know, it's not a hundred. I don't have any kids. And I'm 36, almost 37 Now. I don't know if that's what, you know, with partners. It’s like I'm not a hundred percent sure that yeah, I can have kids, but I look at like, you know, what Lance Armstrong was able to accomplish, you know, because he had kids after that.

And but the, the toughest part is just the mental aspect of because there’s still, I still cautious if 

I have like, pain in my lower back. Oh, it's, you know, leukemia starting or if I have a bad headache, is that a brain tumor? Like you just, you just wonder about that. Because, and I'll tell this story. If you look at the football picture of my freshman year, I went to Quincy, Notre Dame High School in Quincy, Illinois.

If you look at the class of or the two football. I had testicular cancer, starting quarterback ended up getting brain cancer and succumbing to it, and our starting running back, ended up getting brain cancer and succumbing to it. So, there were three on there. And then a classmate of mine a couple of years after we graduated high school, had leukemia.

And that was, so you look at that and it's just like, that’s where I feel a little bit blessed that I had something that was easily detectable.

Joyce Lofstrom

Right. 

Daniel Makarewicz

And, they had good treatments for it. And in that regard, you kind of feel guilty that you were able to survive and beat it. That was, that was kind of hard to you know, deal with that.

And then the other thing is I have a cousin who lived in Minneapolis in 2016, right around this time. It's April 16, I think it was April 15, 2016. She was diagnosed with leukemia, and I had one of my nephews on Valentine's Day 2020 was diagnosed with lymphoma. So, like, yeah, is there something genetically that we're having to deal with?

And luckily my nephew did an awesome job. My cousin, she beat it. She's since gotten married, has a son, and is doing really well. So, if there's anything that we can look at, you know, we've had leukemia, testicular, cancer, lymphoma, and we've all been able to beat it and do well, but, genetic testing is something that I've spoken with my oncologist about. 

And at some point, I wouldn't mind doing that just to see, okay, what, what's going on here? Are we, because we were between the ages of, Thomas, he was 11, or he was almost 11 at the time, and Elizabeth, she was like 27, 28 at the time? So, we were between the ages of 10 and 27 when all this, when all this went down.

Joyce Lofstrom

Wow. Yeah, you do make me think about it. Is there a genetic component to it or were you exposed to something that, you know, there's so many environmental things too that we don't know?

 Daniel Makarewicz

Correct, correct. 

Joyce Lofstrom

So, I'm kind of curious because I spent some years as a newspaper reporter too early in my career.

And how did you then, so you were a sportswriter, and I know you still do some of that. How did you, mm-hmm. You didn't go to Seattle, I guess, when you had that plane ticket made, or did you go?

Daniel Makarewicz

Moline played like at night in Spokane, and the itinerary was Moline, Minneapolis, and Spokane. And another colleague of mine ended up making the trip. Well, there was bad fog in Minneapolis, so the flight was late. He didn't even get there until after the game was over in Spokane. So that was all that. But, after that, Moline went to the Great Lakes Regional again. This time I was in Midland, Michigan, and I covered it and I'll never forget it.

 They lost their first game. It was double elimination, so they played, I think it was either six or seven games they had to play. They ended up winning the regional. So, they went to the World Series. This time it was in Shelby, North Carolina, and I went to North Carolina. And that was cool, because it was just like, okay, I had, I missed something really cool and really important, and I was given another opportunity to cover it.

 Joyce Lofstrom 

Nice.

 Daniel Makarewicz

And it was a special assignment. Actually, the Moline baseball coach is one of my best friends to this day.  And I remember when I booked the trip, I made sure I got there the day before. So that if there were any travel issues. I flew into Charlotte that I was able to get there in time.

 And that was cool because it's like, okay, I didn't something. And I was very lucky in my journalism career to cover awesome things. I'll never forget it. When I was doing chemo, all I wanted was just normal, the entire process. That's just all I wanted. Normalcy. And I remember there was a basketball player from Rock Island who ended up going, he won Mr. Basketball that

year. Went to Stanford, had a great basketball career there. And I remember interviewing him because he had an official visit to Stanford, and I interviewed him late that Sunday night. I remember staying in a hotel with my mom and sitting, getting chemo, and writing that article because I just wanted some normalcy right on there.

That was cool. But in my journalism career, I was able to, I went to Madison Square Garden and covered the NIT. I went to Memphis to cover the NCAA tournament. In St. Louis, I was able to cover a lot of awesome things and meet a lot of great people. And every single one of the people that I dealt with who knew about my situation was supportive.

The first person aside from family was the Rock Island girls’ soccer coach, who had brain cancer. And so he was, and he told me, he's like, hey, get this book. It's called Not About the Bike by Lance Armstrong. And I read it, I still have it. It was very helpful, and he was really supportive of everything and unfortunately, he succumbed.

Brain cancer on November 30, 2014. He had the third time it came back is what got him. But he was a very important person in my life, was just the support and the encouragement and just a really good man. And the coaches and athletes that I dealt with were all just awesome to me.

 I wish that the former sports editor would've been a little bit more supportive. But that's another story for another day. But the people I was around at various schools and organizations, and everything were just always really, really helpful. Really supportive and, and very understanding. 

 Joyce Lofstrom 

Yeah. So, it sounds like you had a really good, you know I'll say illustrious journalism career and now I know you're teaching, so. Correct. Can you talk a little bit about that transition? I mean, anything you want to share. 

 Daniel Makarewicz

It's, you know, well, I could talk for a while.

 Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be a journalist. My parents got the Quincy Herald-Whig and the St. Louis Post Dispatch, and that was something. I enjoyed sports, I enjoyed writing, and you know, went to Illinois State to major in journalism. I will say this. Some of the most important people in my life and I have wonderful parents who have been supportive and just I feel like I won the parent lottery.

My parents are awesome. My sisters, they have always been supportive and awesome. Their spouses, both of my sisters’ husbands are just good men who have been supportive. And I have four nephews. But the people outside my family, outside my inner circle, who have been the most helpful in my journalism, or not, not even journalists, just in life, my professional career, have been at the Quincy Herald where I worked in high school, Matt and Donald, which is tremendous to me.

And then in college, I worked in Bloomington, Illinois. And it was Jim Benson, Randy Reinhardt, Randy Kindred, Randy Sheer, Doug Ham, Mike Agnes, all those men were so good to an 18,-    19,- 20,- and 21-year-old and just awesome. They taught me how to be a professional, how to work hard, and how to be successful in the job.

So, I worked at the Quincy Herald-Whig in high school. Then, when I went to Illinois State, I worked at Pan, and they gave me incredible opportunities to cover Division One sports, professional sports, and high school sports, and that helped me get the job in Moline at the Dispatch. And that was a great situation.

 But journalism, unfortunately, especially print journalism, you work nights and weekends you don't make a lot of money. For the last six years I worked at the paper, I made $13.59 an hour. And I had a degree, I had won awards. We had ratings every quarter, and I would always be rated exceptional.

And I was told there's just no more money that you can make here. The dream job, people say like, it's not about the money and, and it, for a long time it wasn't. But then, you know, you have to make ends meet. And I was working all the time because during the day I would substitute, teach, and then at night, I would go and cover an event or work in the office.

 It just didn't become fun anymore because I'm waking up, getting to school at 7:30, and I'm getting home at midnight after a shift. And that just, so I had left journalism for a couple of years and was a proposal writer for a tech company in Davenport, Iowa. But I knew that that was just going to kind of be a temporary thing.

When I substitute taught, I enjoyed the interactions with the kids and other teachers. And my mom was a kindergarten teacher for a long time at one of the Catholic schools in Quincy. And my oldest sister, she is a fourth-grade teacher at one of the Catholic schools at Quincy. So teaching was kind of something that I had always thought about.

And I ultimately decided to pursue a master's degree to become a teacher and English is, I could have done English, I could have done social studies. But I wanted to go the English route because I like the writing component. I'm lucky that we teach a lot of writing. And I feel like that's something that is, and it's not just like writing an essay.

I try to teach the kids how to write an email, and we practice that one. Writing a resume, writing a cover letter. The kids write a memoir, and that can really help them with a college application or a scholarship application. Just more so real-world stuff. 

And if you asked my students, you know, what's one thing that you've learned in class, a lot of them would say like the resume writing, and that's really important. And I try again, try to get them to practice the emails to do that. 

 And, and I'm lucky, I teach in Highland, Illinois, Highland High School, and I have, you know, every student that I've had, whether it'd be my first year, two years ago, or last year, this year has just been incredible. They've been supportive, and I always thank them because they may come into school each day so enjoyable.

 And they're just awesome kids. I have just awesome kids that walk into class now. They might say I'm kind of sassy, and I'm sarcastic. And I, I like quoting Seinfeld and one of my favorite lines is, you know, if the kids are kind of acting up, I'll tell them to “step off.” That's from Seinfeld. 

Joyce Lofstrom

Okay. Yeah, that's, that's a good line.

 Daniel Makarewicz

And, you know, the kids are just awesome. They make the job so enjoyable, and I have just great colleagues, whether it be in my department, in the rest of the faculty, and a very supportive administration that's, that's got my best interest in my back. So, journalism was an outstanding career, but I just don't miss it.

It's nice going to a sporting event, just being there as a fan. I try to go to a lot of Highland High School events to support the kids, and it's just nice when the game's over. Okay. I leave now. I have been able to help, like freelance, I freelance for the St. Louis Post Dispatch and the Quincy has this Muddy River News, Muddy River Reports.

I've been able to cover things for them because if a school, like Quincy High or Quincy Notre Dame, plays something, I'll cover it for them. And so, I get that, but I don't like to do it too much because I just don't really miss it. I like going to school and interacting with the kids and being a teacher still is just, just fun.

And I know that kind of teaching the profession's kind of under attack, but I just don't know of a better job where every day is different, and you're surrounded by. Our young kids, our young generation, I think while they can be better in certain things, I think that's part of the adult's fault is maybe lowering our standards and expectations.

 But the kids, you know, they'll, they'll find a way to, they'll find a way to overcome things. And I think, and I tell them, you know, the seniors when they were freshmen school was called off in March. Then their sophomore year, they had to wear masks the entire time. And we had a hybrid schedule and then junior year, they had to wear masks up until February and they found a way to overcome it. 

 And I said, if anybody can adapt, it's you, kids. Cause you found a way to do it. And the kids I think will always be resilient and will always want to do the right thing. And the kids, they just make it such a fun job.

 Daniel Makarewicz

And because no two days are the same. They, they really, I'm lucky to have some great students who just, and I tell them, you make it fun for me to be here every single day. And I think if you're not making school fun, then there's no reason to be there. 

Now, we work, and there are high expectations. We have to laugh at some point every day in class. We have to find a way to do that. And I try to do that. Because if I'm not laughing, then yeah, then the days are not very fun at all. 

Joyce Lofstrom

So, they're very lucky to have a teacher like you, Daniel. I mean, not every teacher can be as excited about it. I think it's wonderful, you know, and I think the fact that you teach practical things in your English class as well as everything else because you know.

I had good English teachers too in high school. And I think it makes a big difference. And you teach them things that they can use now, like how to write an email and their resume and, you know, I think that's so important. So, congrats to you for doing that. 

 Daniel Makarewicz

I try to tell kids that there are three things that you can take from this class that you can apply 

to anything in life: critical thinking, analytical skills, and problem-solving skills. If you can do those three things, you're going to be a very valuable employee. And, because I know we're studying Othello in the senior English 4 class right now, and I said, I get this is from, you know, Venice, you know, was written in the 1600s.

I understand that it may not relate to you, but if you critically think and analyze and problem solve, which is what we're trying to do here, then you're going to be successful in college and in whatever career you have because that's what's going to make you successful. So that's what I try to hit home with them every single day.

Because not everybody is going to be an English teacher. I have students who are going to be carpenters or pipe fitters or nurses or civil engineers or psychologists or vets, and all those skills can apply to those disciplines. 

Joyce Lofstrom

Right. So back to just testicular cancer for a moment. What would you tell any young man that might think he has testicular cancer, they find a lump or any advice you want to share?

Daniel Makarewicz

Just say something. Get it. Get it checked out immediately. Because luckily, testicular cancer is pretty easy to detect because if there's an issue down there, you can see it. It's important to say something and get it checked out. The survival rate is improving. I wish it could be at zero, but it's not right now. But I believe it is the number one cancer for males between the ages of 15 and 35.

Joyce Lofstrom

It is. 

Daniel Makarewicz

So, and that's what I haven't gotten to that report yet with students saying, here are some placards to check it.  But I do, I have talked about it to my students about what I went through and, you know, just check if you notice that there's something wrong, say something. Don't put yourself in a position where it's going to be too late.

And there's nothing to be ashamed of about it. Cause you know, I don't know why I got it. I'll never know why I got it, but it's what it is. You just kind of have to accept the reality of it and figure out how to how to overcome it. And it's just, it's a shame that somebody like, again, I was 24 and I wasn't equipped to handle it. And you could be 15 and get it and how are you going to handle it?

And it's just, it's also surprising how many, like you see professional athletes, I know that (Major) League (Baseball) like Jameson Taillon had testicular cancer and it's just kind of amazing, really how much it does impact males. That one. And it's just, you know, check if you notice something is wrong, get it checked out.

And because even if it, okay, it may not be anything, all right, but you need to have that peace of mind on it and. Just got to be proactive with it. I waited three months and luckily it wasn't super serious after it, but it could have been. Yeah. And it's just, you got to be proactive with it.

And there's nothing wrong with saying, hey, I think there's a problem down here. Pride is, pride is a good thing, but sometimes it could be detrimental. And don't, don't just, just check. And if you notice something, say something. That's, that's the best advice I can give on that one. 

Joyce Lofstrom

So, what's next for you? I know you're teaching and you're liking it. Any, any anything you want to share as you look ahead for you? 

Daniel Makarewicz

I just want to find happiness. That's my number one priority is finding happiness. I've been reading various things and, and that's, I think we, as a society, need just to be happy. That's what I'm working toward trying to make some changes in, you know, I've made changes in my professional life and found something that's made me happy. 

And as I said earlier, I still struggle with mental health and I'm still working on that. I just am trying to find happiness. And some days it's like, oh, I'm close to it, and other days I'm not even near the on-ramp to it.

But that's what I'm, I'm trying to do. I'm trying to, that's the one thing for me is finding happiness and, you know, I'll work toward that as hard as I can. But as you know, some days, it's not easy. But you got to, you just got to keep going.

I think that's where dealing with something like cancer, and days aren't going to be easy, but you just got to keep going. I just will never forget my grandfather, he had lung cancer, and toward the end, they zapped him with chemo and they zapped him with radiation. And I just said, you know, Grandpa, like, you ever get tired of this?

And he just said, you know, it's all part of living. And that, that stuck with me that sometimes the days are going to be fantastic. And other days, they're just not right. And that's all part, it's the highs and lows, but, you know, I'm searching for happiness and that's something that I will continue to pursue until I reach that point.

Joyce Lofstrom

So maybe, that's a good segue to talk about the Cubs and the St. Louis teams. I'm just, I mean, only being in Chicago, but you know, that rivalry. 

Daniel Makarewicz

I just remember the Cubs won the World Series and they're like, are you excited? I'm like, no, I don't have, I'm not excited about that. And like in any way, shape, or form.

Joyce Lofstrom

Okay. 

Daniel Makarewicz

That's just kind of how it is. Because I doubt when the Cardinals won the World Series, the Cubs fans weren’t overly proud.

Joyce Lofstrom 

That's true. You're right about that one. 

Daniel Makarewicz

I was in Chicago actually the night they won when they beat the Dodgers. I was filming something at Comcast and had their studios and merchandise.

I remember there was like the bottom of the eighth when we got done. I'm like, I got to get out of here. I'm going, I'm going home just to kind of beat all that sort of stuff. And my older, or my middle sister, Katie, her and her husband lived in Wrigleyville. They lived three blocks west of Wrigley Field, and it was kind of cool to walk around. They have since moved to Omaha, but it was kind of cool to walk around and see all that. See, the one thing I like about Chicago is the food. And I do think Lake Michigan is pretty cool. 

 Joyce Lofstrom 

Yeah, it is. 

Daniel Makarewicz

To be right there on the lake and just the food is, I always like Oberweis Dairy, and I'm a big fan of pizza. And Portillo's is always good. 

And I have two cousins that live up in the suburbs and, you know, they live by some great places and just, but I've heard about Pequod’s and how, you know, people raving about that. 

Joyce Lofstrom 

My son's been there.

Daniel Makarewicz

If you like Chicago and say like, it's the thin crust that is the best of pizza in Chicago.

Joyce Lofstrom 

That's what I like is the thin crust. 

Daniel Makarewicz

So, oh yeah, thin and crispy with pepperoni sauce or just always. That's always a good thing. And if my students watch this, they'll be, they won't be shocked that we're talking about food. Cause that typically is what we talk about quite a bit in my classroom is food and all this sort of stuff. Sports, but yeah, and Oberweis Dairy there. That's still good stuff too. 

Joyce Lofstrom

It is, yeah. Very good. But that's all, that's any ice cream is good for me, so I love ice cream. 

Daniel Makarewicz

Oh yeah, yeah. Yeah. 

 Joyce Lofstrom

I could eat ice cream every day. 

 Daniel Makarewicz

Yeah, me too. Yeah. 

 Joyce Lofstrom

And it would be ok. That's kind of how it's, so my last question is Daniel, what song when you hear it, you just have to sing along to it. 

Daniel Makarewicz

Cute Without the ‘E’ by Taking Back Sunday. It's a band from Long Island. And when I was in college, I had some friends, and we enjoyed having fun. This song we would play at like two or three o'clock in the morning and we, all of them, start singing it.

And I've seen them a couple of times in concert. I saw them at Northernly Island there in Chicago, and then I saw him in Kansas City. And both times I saw them, they opened with that song. And it was just, so Cute Without the ‘E’ by Taking Back Sunday. The album is called Tell All Your Friends.

My favorite album of all time is that one. And so, they're unique because it's always kind of a duet that they sing, and their lyrics are really powerful. And they kind of hit home with me, so, well, now I'm reciprocating. What song do you, what was the song that you have to sing?

Joyce Lofstrom

I love the Beatles. So, and I mean, it all started in high school with me and the Beatles, and so I, any Beatles. I can, I love to sing along to. That's probably my favorite. So, Twist and Shout is one I really like. 

Daniel Makarewicz

Oh, that's great, yeah. That makes me think of Ferris Bueller's Day Off. 

Joyce Lofstrom

Okay. Yeah.

Daniel Makarewicz

When he sings that in the parade.

Joyce Lofstrom

Yeah. Yeah. But any, yeah, I love The Beatles still.

Daniel Makarewicz

So, Drive My Car is always one I like at the end where they're like, beep, beep, beep. I just think that's kind of. I just always like that touch on there. 

 Joyce Lofstrom 

Yeah. They're very cre… I mean, some of their, their whatever you call them, extras, I guess, they put in their songs.

 Daniel Makarewicz

Yes, exactly. Exactly. 

Joyce Lofstrom

Well, I thank you for your time and for telling us everything about your journey with testicular cancer. I'm glad you are here, and you know, you've got a lot going on with the teaching. I think is really exciting because I think having a good teacher makes such a difference for all of us.

Daniel Makarewicz

I feel like public schools teaching and education are under attack. People aren't getting the full scope of what's going on in a school. And if they walked into Highland High School, they would see the good that there is an education. We have kids who do follow the rule. We have kids who want to learn.

We have teachers who aren't indoctrinating students. They're educating students. People, I feel like people may be kind of close-minded about what is happening in schools because there are good teachers, there are good students, there are good schools, and there is good curriculum going on there. The schools and everything in our society could be better.

Every single level of our society could be better. But there's a lot of good that's going on in our schools, and we have a lot of young people who are going, who have handled everything and rebounded there. We have good people coming up here, and we just need to, if we feel like there's something negative going on, let's see what positives.

But there are a lot of positives that I feel get overlooked every single day in our education system because of whatever reasons going on here. But there are a lot of positives that I don't think are broadcasted enough. Because I have great kids who are going to do great things in this world, and we need to, we need to look at that.

We, they always say, you know, 3% of, you know, the issues that a school, or excuse me, 90% of the issues come from 3% of the population. Well, it seems like we work at 3% of negative and see the 97% of the positive that's going on every single day in our society. So, we have good teachers, good students, and good schools, and we need to remember that because that is happening every single day.

Joyce Lofstrom

I agree. 

So, thank you for. That’s an important perspective. So just again, thank you for being with me on the podcast and, you know a lot of people will hear your story and hopefully help them. 

Daniel Makarewicz

So, thanks, thank you for, thank you for having me on. And thank you for the work that you're doing for this. We need more people like you.

Joyce Lofstrom

Well, thank you. I mean, we've got to raise awareness, right? So that's what we're trying to do. 

Daniel Makarewicz

So, yeah. And all one last time, all this started because of Dave Porter, the old Lafayette basketball coach. So, if he sees this, or if anybody knows of Dave Porter, the old Lafayette basketball coach, I hope he sees this because without him I would not have known any of this.

And his story impacted me.  I know when people do things like that, they say if it can impact one person, then it's done. What he did is, was something that I'll never forget him. I'll never forget his story.  And you know, I hope we get to a point where we don't have to talk about this case anymore and get rid of it.

Because I know when that day happens, I might be popping some champagne, and I may be, going on a bender a little bit to celebrate it. So, I hope that they come sooner rather than later. 

Joyce Lofstrom

Yeah. I'm with you on that, so, thank you, Daniel. 

Daniel Makarewicz

Thank you.

Closing

Thank you for listening to this episode of Don't Give Up on Testicular Cancer. If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to our program on your favorite podcast directory. You can also visit the Max Mallory Foundation at www.maxmalloryfoundation.com/podcast to listen to previous podcast episodes or donate to the Foundation.

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