Cancer Hits Close to Home for Krystkowiak, McRae III and the Big Green

In the midst of Coaches vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers Week, the Dartmouth men's basketball team has shared for whom they suit up.

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As described on its website, Suits And Sneakers is a nationwide event that unites basketball coaches across the country for a common cause — saving lives from cancer. The goal of the day, and week, is to help save lives by raising funds and encouraging people to educate themselves about cancer prevention, screening and early detection.

The initiative is in conjunction with the American Cancer Society.

The Big Green will be playing for something bigger than themselves on Saturday when they host Columbia at 2 p.m. in Leede Arena, as cancer hits close to home for so many.

"My mom and dad worked pretty in-depth with the American Cancer Society and Coaches vs. Cancer, with my dad having been a head coach at the University of Utah," said senior Cam Krystkowiak. "He ended up getting pretty involved, and yearly, people would bid to golf with one of each of the head coaches of the Pac-12, and all the money would go toward the donations."

While Cam was home over the COVID-19 pandemic, he completed a remote internship with the American Cancer Society.

"I would get on the computer for a couple hours a day, talk with 10 or so people and plan events," he said. "I was a part of raising money for an auction, held at a big fundraising golf event in Wisconsin, so I had three months to prepare for that. One of my jobs was to connect with as many people as I could to obtain auction items."

Cam used connections, including his father (who was a nine-year NBA veteran), to obtain items that led to money going toward cancer research.

"We were actually able to get a bass guitar signed by Pearl Jam … the whole band," said Cam. "I believe that sold for about $10,000. Planning and logistics for the auction was essentially my internship.

"It was all for pediatric cancer."

The cause was especially meaningful for Cam, who has seen far too many people lose their battle to cancer.

"Throughout my life, I've lost friends and my parents have lost friends and family members," said Cam. "My dad's mom died when he was eight. I never got to meet her."

One story about someone Cam didn't even know at the time stands out, as one of his father's former players lost his battle with cancer.

"My dad was at the University of Montana, we had all lived in Salt Lake City and I had just met [the former player]," said Cam. "He found out he was diagnosed with cancer and it was eventually going to become a terminal cancer. Watching him essentially die over a two-to-three-year period was really hard.

"I got to know him and his kids, and I was able to see the purpose behind what the American Cancer Society is doing," Cam continued. "Anyone who's worked fundraising for charities, you can understand it sometimes gets annoying to constantly have to hit people up for donations. But it really is a good purpose.

"Although you might not always see it, someone is dealing with cancer somewhere that may eventually kill them, or they already know is killing them."

Junior Robert McRae III is another Big Green student-athlete who has been affected by cancer.

"I have two uncles battling prostate cancer — Shawn Booker Sr. and Anthony Morris Sr.," he said. "I've also had two family members who have passed away from cancer.

"Willard Morris Sr., my grandfather, passed away before I was born when my mom was 21," McRae continued. "And Marques Lee Robinson passed away two years ago, leaving behind my widowed mother and his three-year-old daughter, Ellyott Robinson, my baby sister."

The death of McRae's stepfather (Marques Lee Robinson) hit hard.

"It was around the same time I was going off to prep school, right after the death of Kobe Bryant, and right after the death of his brother and my uncle, who died being a good Samaritan trying to stop an attempted robbery," said McRae. "It affected my mother strongly and my youngest sister, which in turn affected me. Fortunately, we have healed from this, but the pain still lingers deep in our hearts.

"The diagnosis of my uncles came shortly after and provided a serious scare for my family after just enduring the tragedy the year before," McRae continued. "Luckily, they are healthily fighting through treatment."

The goal of Coaches vs. Cancer is to raise awareness of stories like McRae's, raise awareness of preventative measures, and raise donations to fund lifesaving research, treatment and care.

"The pain the deaths caused my family, and are still causing today, is indescribable through words and something I wish for no one," said McRae. "We watched as my stepfather died before our eyes, losing his weight, his voice, his energy and his life day-by-day."

The Big Green enter Saturday's game with many different experiences and perspective, with Krystkowiak and McRae III being just two of several examples.

Krystkowiak has perspective of how impactful the Coaches vs. Cancer initiative can be, having worked behind-the-scenes.

"Seeing how much money the auction items went for was probably the most rewarding part of my internship because at the end of the day, the goal is to raise money," he said. "Just seeing videos of the people at the golf course bidding on items and being able to visit hospitals and see cancer patients, it's life-changing.

"It makes you more grateful."

Krystkowiak came out of the experience a different young man than he went in.

"If you ever get a chance to volunteer at a hospital for a day to help kids with pediatric cancer, do a toy drive for a hospital or whatever it might be, it'll definitely make you realize some things you probably didn't know before about what they have to deal with," said Krystkowiak. "A lot of them are able to stay positive and enjoy life.

"It has definitely made me more conscious and grateful for what I have, while at the same time, thinking about others and trying to make other people's lives better."

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