When Cancer Hits Home: Central Regional's Mike Clemente

BAYVILLE, NJ - Mike Clemente's first clue that something was wrong were exhaustion and breathlessness, not normal for a 32-year-old man.

His doctors are first told him he was fine. But back in July, a pulmonologist discovered the problem that a chest X-ray, CAT scan and biopsy later confirmed. Clemente had mediastinal non-Hodgins lymphoma.

Thus began a journey that no one wants to take. Clemente - the head basketball coach at Central Regional High School - endured six rounds of steadily-increasing chemotherapy treatment, according to a report in app.com.

And it wasn't easy.

"It’s such an aggressive form of cancer, so they treat it very aggressively,’’ Clemente told the Press. "It’s dose adjusted, so every cycle they went up a level as long as my body could handle it. We went six rounds. I wasn’t able to teach during that time. Honestly, the last three cycles were very tough. I rarely even got out of bed. It was really tough.’’

He came back to Central in late November. And he will be at Coaches Vs. Cancer tournament he founded at Central this weekend. It's his way of giving back.

The 10-team event gets underway at Central Regional on Saturday, when Howell takes on Colonia at 11 a.m. Donovan Catholic will go up against Woodbridge at 12:30 p.m., Mater Dei Prep versus Red Bank at 2 p.m., Central will play against Point Beach at 3:30 p.m. and the Toms River North-Highland Regional match gets underway at 5 p.m.

The tournament will benefit Monmouth Medical Center's Grateful Patient Program, which focuses on new technologies and treatments for cancer patients.

The Coaches vs. Cancer program is a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) that empowers basketball coaches, their teams, and local communities to make a difference in the fight against cancer, according to the American Cancer Society'swebsite..

The program leverages the personal experiences, community leadership, and professional excellence of basketball coaches nationwide to increase cancer awareness and promote healthy living through year-round awareness efforts, fundraising activities, and advocacy programs.

If you are interested in making a donation or becoming a sponsor for the event, you can call Clemente at 732-691-2598.

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Photo: Patricia A. Miller