Nothing could have prepared Dashawn Kellogg for the curveball he was thrown in late January. Sitting in a doctor’s office at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, the East Ridge High School freshman and his mother Christine felt their knees buckle when the words “bone cancer” were thrown at them.
As a three-sport athlete, Kellogg is used to bumps, bruises and sore muscles. But when he began continually complaining about a sore left shoulder during Christmas break from school, his mom became worried.
“He’s not a whiner, so we took him for an X-ray and then an MRI,” Christine said. “Then we got a call that there was something that concerned the doctors and Dashawn needed to go to Vanderbilt for a biopsy. Later that day we got the news that it was cancer, and it was all I could do to keep from breaking down. It was hard to believe what was happening.
“It’s weird, but Dashawn was the one who immediately started reassuring me, trying to lift my spirits.”
Since the diagnosis, Christine, a single mom to three boys, has quit her job to stay home with Dashawn, shuttling him to chemotherapy treatments and spending much of her time lately trying to convince him that he isn’t yet well enough to return to playing ball.
“It’s been tough not getting to go out and play and go to my games when I want to,” Dashawn said. “I’ve gone through about 10 weeks of chemo, and the first few were the toughest. I’ve still got more to go and it’s pretty scary, but I just have to be strong and get through it.”
For as long as he can remember, Dashawn has changed his focus among baseball, basketball and football as seamlessly as the seasons change. His grit and competitive nature have helped him get through the early stages of chemotherapy, when his appetite dwindled and he lost more than 10 pounds.
He has regained the lost weight and even added five more pounds and is back on the field, working as a first base coach for an 11-12 year-old team, the Lakeside Blue Jays.
“He was throwing up after taking chemo, and I heard him say that cancer was messing with the wrong kid because he was going to win,” Christine said. “He’s so determined to beat this, to not be sick and get back out there with his friends.”
With Christine staying home to care for her son, everyday expenses, including a 14-day stay in Nashville while Dashawn underwent treatment, have begun to pile up. He faces a complicated surgery next week in which doctors at Vanderbilt will replace the cancerous bone in his shoulder with an artificial one.
A couple of local youth baseball teams, as well as the Dizzy Dean organization, have pledged money to help, and Dashawn’s Lakeside team will host a youth tournament today from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Tickets are $3 and all the money from ticket sales and concessions are going to help his family pay for his surgery.
Those wishing to make donations can also contact Blue Jays coach Willie Mosley on his cell phone at (423) 362-0908. Mosley has coached Dashawn for four years and recently set up an account the family will use toward medical costs.
“He’s a very good athlete, but he’s an even better kid,” Mosley said. “He’s always had such a great attitude, and he’s one of those kids coaches love to work with because he loves to compete.”
E-mail Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com