Saturday, January 3, 2009

Coach praises the efforts of the 'Bald Eagles'

Players shaved heads to support coach with cancer

Jason W. Brooks News-Bulletin Staff Writer; jbrooks@news-bulletin.com

Belen When the Belen Eagle boys basketball team emerged from the Roswell High School visitors locker room after a season-ending playoff loss in March, the players didn't need to announce how they felt. The dejected look on many of the players' faces told all.

Similarly, an action many of the players took in June to support one of their assistant coaches was probably worth more than any words of encouragement could be.

Sean Gabaldon was diagnosed in April with Stage III Burkitt's lymphoma, a form of cancer, and like many patients, his hair would fall out during treatment. The "Bald Eagles," in the middle of a short summer-scrimmage season in June, shaved their heads in support of Gabaldon.

Ironically, the opponent the Eagles first faced when they sported their bald heads, Los Lunas, is the same opponent they'll face on Thursday, Jan. 8, in their 2008-09 home opener.

Gabaldon saw a photo of the hairless squad during one of his hospitalizations, then later saw the bald team play a scrimmage against Los Lunas and Pojoaque in June.

"He supports us, so we had to support him," said junior point guard Josh Mattox, who was among the first on the team to shave his head. "The guys were all happy to go along with it, because he's one our coaches. The whole thing is a real eye-opener."

Gabaldon, 40, is described by BHS head coach Chris Tapia as a very positive person. Now in his third year with the high school program, Gabaldon is still undergoing rehabilitative treatments, but his lymphoma is in remission. He coached basketball where he teaches, at Gil Sanchez Elementary, and at Belen Middle School before working with the high school program.

He credits part of his will to progress through the treatments to the players, and how their show of support had a huge influence on his confidence.

"The support from my family, colleagues and the boys on the team helped me realize Belen really is the best place to live," said Gabaldon. "I've known all the boys on the team since they were little."

Tapia, who considers Gabaldon a close friend, said the assistant coach's experience has had a profound effect on him — and so did the team's show of support.

"When you see all that happen to someone that close, there's no way it could not have an effect," said Tapia. "I think Sean took a perfect, positive approach to his treatment."

Part of a coach's job is to encourage players, so it stands to reason the team would be encouraging as well. In fact, Gabaldon said the players were quite inquisitive.

"They wanted to know all about all the treatments and everything," he said. "They became my coach. They were doing what a team does."

Gabaldon also got support from his colleagues where he teaches, at Gil Sanchez Elementary, as well as from his family: his wife Brenda; his son Connor, who is 12; Christian (who is 8), Elizabeth (5) and Amelia (2).

Gabaldon was able to return to the team on a regular basis in early November, though rehabilitation and certain restrictions limit his interaction with the group. For example, he travels to away games on his own, as bus-contained germs that might cause ailments such as colds would be more harmful to him than others.

Tapia said the team is glad their coach is back. The Eagles talk about limited opportunities in life, and in Gabaldon's case, he's talking about something even more important than the District 6-4A championship.

"When he speaks, the guys really look like they're paying attention," said Tapia.

Senior Kevin DeLong said Gabaldon's encouragement has been critical.

"He pushes me," said DeLong. "He pushes me to do my best."

Another senior, Brian Jaramillo, went to visit Gabaldon while the coach was still at Presbyterian Hospital.

"He lost his hair, so we did this out of respect," he said. "He cared a lot for us, and he showed us that he really loves us. He's a good friend."

Mattox said the head shaving was not only a team-wide effort; the shaving itself was a bit of circus at times.

"I think Lawrence (Armijo), Joey (Mascareña) and Brian all shaved each other's heads," said Mattox, whose younger brother Jake decided to have his head shaved as well.

"That shows how much unity a team can have," said Tapia.

Gabaldon received six cycles of intravenous chemotherapy over the summer, and each one required seven days of hospitalization at Presbyterian. Including other hospitalizations due to infections, he spent about 11 weeks total at Presbyterian between his April diagnosis and the end of September.

The Eagles, who compete at the Poe Corn Classic this weekend, travel to Taos on Tuesday, Jan. 6, before hosting Los Lunas on Thursday at 7 p.m.

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