Senior wrestler Colin Monahan has been selected as the recipient of the Director of Athletics Award, the final prestigious honor of Ursinus College's Athletic Awards Week.
The Director of Athletics Award is selected each year based on input from coaches and athletic department senior staff, and honors a student-athlete who exemplifies perseverance, loyalty, and spirit to the team and Ursinus College and is a positive influence on his/her teammates. No one fits that description more than Monahan, who overcame the ultimate challenge during his time at the college.
After a promising rookie campaign in which he posted an overall record of 10-6 and placed third at the Will Abele Invitational, Monahan missed the next two seasons while battling melanoma.
The summer before his sophomore year, during a practice session, Monahan noticed a bump in front of his left ear. He didn't think much of it, but as weeks went by and the bump remained, he went to his doctor in August. The doctor believed it was simply an infection or a cyst and referred Monahan to an ENT specialist.
After going on antibiotics, a scan revealed two identical spots in front of Monahan's left earn and under his jaw line on the left side of his face. The antibiotics proved ineffective, and doctors performed a biopsy a week before move-in day; When the biopsy came back inconclusive for melanoma, Monahan needed to cut short a trip with his roommate to have another one.
Move-in came without the results of the second biopsy, but Monahan wanted to return to school. After the first week, which felt "like the longest of my life," Monahan's parents made the drive from Freehold, New Jersey to inform him that the diagnosis was in: Stage 3 melanoma.
"I didn't really think anything too much about it and did not know the severity," Monahan said. "My main worry was being able to continue my education and wrestling that season."
On September 16, 2016, Monahan underwent a three-and-a-half hour neck dissection procedure to remove the melanoma from both spots in his salivary glands.
"Most people after this type of surgery are hospitalized for a week or more," Monahan said. "But I was released after the third day."
After about a week and a half of bedrest at home, Monahan's doctors allowed him to return to Ursinus. He was then given some options, and elected to undergo proton therapy, a less severe version of radiation. This meant that Monahan was forced to take a medical withdrawal from Ursinus for the fall semester.
"I hated the fact that I had to leave my friends, my sport, and my second home," Monahan said. "There were many days that I questioned why this was happening to me. I began comparing this situation to wrestling and that's when I started to think of what the next best option was to do. During that time at home, I dedicated myself to healing and slowly returning to my workouts. I was also thankful for the opportunity to be able to be a volunteer assistant wrestling coach at Freehold Boro High School, where I had graduated. This gave me a glimpse into what coaching is like and seeing the sport from a different perspective. On top of this, I also returned to Ursinus to assist the wrestling team with events like the Fall Brawl."
In January of 2017, a PET scan revealed some devastating news: The cancer had spread to Monahan's hip and chest. After testing the cells, Monahan was placed on a different immunotherapy treatment. He shuttled back and forth between Ursinus and New Jersey every third Friday for treatment. He was unable to wrestle, but traveled with the team as a manager.
Following a fifth round of immunotherapy, another PET scan showed in April that the cancer had not spread, but both tumors had grown. After going on a different medication in May, based on testing, a PET scan two months later showed a reduction in both tumors.
All the while, Monahan was training for a return to the mat. When an October PET scan revealed no evidence of cancer, he started the 2017 season with the Bears. Monahan won his first match back, at the Fall Brawl, but suffered an injury in his second bout that kept him out until just before finals week. His next PET scan was also clean, and Monahan returned to Ursinus on New Year's Day to begin practicing. He was dealt another blow, however, when he sustained a concussion and went back on the shelf until February.
Just after returning to practice, Monahan noticed something odd: His right thumb was numb. It seemed like a pinched nerve, and was treated as such. On February 26, Monahan knew something was wrong and called his parents in the wee hours of the morning. He woke up his roommate to drive him to the hospital, but before they left the dorm, Monahan had a seizure.
His roommate employed a wrestling hold to keep Monahan secure as the seizure went through his body, then was by joined several of their teammates and friends to take Monahan to the hospital. There, Monahan learned that the cancer had spread to his brain.
That March, Monahan had a left parietal craniotomy to remove the tumor in his brain. He was discharged just two days after the surgery, and took the following week – spring break – and two more after that at home while undergoing occupational therapy, physical therapy, and radiation on his brain – all of this while continuing his schoolwork remotely. When Monahan returned to campus on March 29, his day-to-day life was turned upside down.
"I had to be careful, as I couldn't lift anything more than five pounds and I couldn't bend over so that my brain could heal," Monahan said. "Even carrying my backpack was challenging and I was frustrated that I couldn't' work out."
Four months later, Monahan was cleared by his neurosurgeon to begin working out again. He continued to undergo PET scans and brain MRIs every three months. It was smooth sailing, relatively, until a PET scan in September showed that the cancer had spread again. The next day, he found out his wrestling coach, the legendary Bill Racich, had died unexpectedly.
"Those two events back to back were very difficult to deal with, but I knew I had to keep going," Monahan said.
After starting a new series of immunotherapy treatments in October, Monahan made the gut-wrenching decision to forego his junior season.
"That was one of the most difficult decisions that I had to make," Monahan said. "It was devastating."
Monahan, continuing to attend classes and interning with the wrestling coaching staff, discovered in December that the new treatment was attacking his liver. He went on steroids and was given weekly blood tests. On New Year's Eve, his levels spiked, indicating that liver failure was near. Monahan spent the next two weeks in a New York City hospital.
After leaving the hospital, a follow-up with a liver specialist revealed a different infection, and Monahan underwent another surgery early the next day. This time, he stayed in the hospital for three days.
Monahan began the spring semester remotely, with his teachers allowing him to Skype into class. He returned to Ursinus in mid-February, going back to in-person classes and helping the wrestling team. Once again, he was unable to lift anything or work out; in fact, he wasn't permitted to work out at all until that July. Monahan continued on a high dose of steroids until June, when his liver levels finally returned to normal.
Monahan's plan had always been to wrestle at the 125-pound or 133-pound weight class. But the combination of steroids and the inability to train caused a significant weight gain. When he returned to campus this past September, he did everything he could to lose the weight he had put on, and to rebuild his strength and stamina.
Ultimately, Monahan was unable to get lower than 149 pounds for the Fall Brawl, where he returned to action but suffered yet another injury that would keep him out until January.
"Although I would have liked to have the success on the mat that I was used to and expected, getting my hand raised wasn't the most important thing," Monahan said. "I was happy and proud to be able to step on the mat and get back to wrestling, as I was basically unable to wrestle for nearly two years."
In the meantime, Monahan's PET and MRI scans continued to come back clean. He managed to get his weight down to 141 pounds, the lowest it had been since brain surgery.
This March, doctors discovered another very small spot on Monahan's brain. He underwent another round of radiation in late March and continued with remote learning. Monahan spent this past year as a member of the Emerging Leaders Academy, and was a four-year member of UC Ambassadors and Alpha Phi Epsilon fraternity.
"Withdrawing from the fall semester in 2016 to undergo radiation caused me to extend my time at Ursinus by another year," Monahan said. "But I am grateful for the opportunities that Ursinus has given me athletically, academically and socially to help me grow as an individual.
I never wanted cancer to define me in the present or future as a student, wrestler or person. I knew my college experience was not going to be what I had hoped for and looked forward to, but I also knew I wasn't going to let cancer stop me."
Monahan will graduate with a degree in applied economics (with a concentration in finance and accounting) along with minors in media and communication studies and management studies. He was recently recognized by the wrestling team as the recipient of its first 'Pat Curry Award for Dedication to the Program.'
"He is a great ambassador for the college and program and is a role model for any student-athlete that is having a tough time," wrestling coach Joe Jamison said. "He did the unimaginable."