Student Fights Cancer, and Wins

Before he left Ada, Ohio for Harvard last fall, Daniel J. Hruschka '96 says his dad showed him a pamphlet to read.

"It was on testicular cancer," he says. "I said, 'Sure Dad' and just put it on the counter."

But three weeks into the fall term, Hruschka says he began to feel sick and went to UHS for a check-up.

"The doctor said it was epididymitis (inflammation of the tissue above the testicular region)," Hruschka says. "But I went back two weeks later, because it wasn't going away."

Hruschka says he talked to another doctor, who said it might be a benign tumor and recommended he go to Beth Israel Hospital.

"They did an ultrasound on me," he says. "Halfway through, the guy turned the screen away from me, and then left the room."

"When he came back, he said, 'Dan, it doesn't look benign, it looks like it's malignant."

That night at Beth Israel, Hruschka had emergency surgery to remove the tumor. Three weeks later, he began the first of his four chemotherapy treatments, which occurred every three weeks and lasted for five days, Hruschka says.

Hruschka has been cured of the cancer, but he says his unique Harvardexperience has deeply affected his outlook. Oneside effect of the treatment is nausea, Hruschkasays.

"Imagine having a hangover 10 times worse thanthe worst hangover you ever had, five days in arow," he says.

"But now I can deal with any hangover," headds.

Another side effect of the chemotherapy is hairloss, which Hruschka says he dealt with by shavinghis hair at the beginning. Cabot House MasterJurij Striedter says this made Hruschka well-knownthroughout the house.

"His shaved head makes him remarkable, and thestudents know each other well enough to say, whois this guy?" Striedter says.

Hruschka says his hat collection increasedsignificantly as a result.

"I have seven hats knitted by my mom, and I'vegotten at least eight bandanna or hat gifts fromfriends," he says.

Cabot House tutor Hiteshkumar Hathi says thatHruschka gave gifts as well.

"He made people gifts when they came to visithim in the hospital," Hathi says. "His didn't wantto be a symbol of sympathy."

From the beginning, Hathi says he was impressedby Hruschka's attitude.

"He went through a lot of things, but he neveronce complained, he never sought any sympathy, henever made himself the center of attention," hesays. "I found his attitude astonishing."

The situation never became depressing, saysCharles A. Kapelke '96, one of Hruschka'sroommates.

"When he came home from the hospital you couldtell it'd be okay because Dan is just burstingwith positive energy," Kapelke says. "He madelight of it the whole time which made it easierfor everyone, including himself."

There were a few unavoidable difficulties,however, according to Hruschka.

"I had to drop two of my classes," he says. "Iended up taking just three math classes." And fora guy who says he likes to lift weights and run alot, "feeling low-energy and getting out of breathwas difficult," Hruschka says. To compensate,Hruschka says he picked up some other interests.

"I really seriously started playing guitar whenI first got cancer," he says.

Some of his new interests rubbed off on hisroommates, Kapelke says.

"The only drawback, besides the obviousclinical ones, was that he had a lot of free timeso that he started watching '90210' and sucked mein too," he says.

Hruschka, a math concentrator, says the biggestchange was in his outlook.

"Originally I really believed in math andscience and ultimate truth and everything, butthen I realized, when I saw all these doctorsguessing and not sure how to treat me, that itwasn't magic," he says. "I realized that there area lot of other aspects of life that are just asimportant."

Such as stories, he says.

"I got into reading a lot of books, from havinga need for something more human than mathematics,"Hruschka says. "Like literature, more preciselyoral literature, because you actually talk toother people and hear them, and interact withthem."

"He's gone from math to myth," his roommateKapelke says.

Hruschka says he hopes to go to the south ofFrance this summer to study fairytales and folktales.

Last summer, he worked as a researcher andwriter for Let's Go in the southern and centralparts of France, Hruschka says.

"It was very demanding and very grueling butnow that I've done it I'm glad I had such anintensive experience with the culture," he says.

Speaking French is nothing new for Hruschka,who says he deferred entrance into Harvard for ayear to live in Belgium.

"One day this lady came into my classroom inhigh school and said this is what you can do," hesays.

"I came home that night and said to my parents,Mom and Dad, I'm going to Europe."

Fortunately, Hruschka says, testicular canceris "the most curable form of cancer."

"99% of people survive it," he says.

"Now I'm much more aware," he says. "Like if Iget a bump or when my lymph nodes get swollen whenI get a cold, I get really nervous."

Hruschka says he wants to work to help otherswith the disease.

"Next year I hope to do something at BethIsrael to help other cancer patients," he says.

Hruschka's attitudes is rare, Hathi says.

"He's one of those rare people who's veryfriendly and warm and completely genuine," Hathisays. "Harvard is a place that is so full ofcompetition and insecurity and there are ways thatDan sails through that very easily."

And the tutor adds: "Probably at first onedoesn't understand that, but it's exactly thecharacter that helped him get through the cancer.

"Imagine having a hangover 10 times worse thanthe worst hangover you ever had, five days in arow," he says.

"But now I can deal with any hangover," headds.

Another side effect of the chemotherapy is hairloss, which Hruschka says he dealt with by shavinghis hair at the beginning. Cabot House MasterJurij Striedter says this made Hruschka well-knownthroughout the house.

"His shaved head makes him remarkable, and thestudents know each other well enough to say, whois this guy?" Striedter says.

Hruschka says his hat collection increasedsignificantly as a result.

"I have seven hats knitted by my mom, and I'vegotten at least eight bandanna or hat gifts fromfriends," he says.

Cabot House tutor Hiteshkumar Hathi says thatHruschka gave gifts as well.

"He made people gifts when they came to visithim in the hospital," Hathi says. "His didn't wantto be a symbol of sympathy."

From the beginning, Hathi says he was impressedby Hruschka's attitude.

"He went through a lot of things, but he neveronce complained, he never sought any sympathy, henever made himself the center of attention," hesays. "I found his attitude astonishing."

The situation never became depressing, saysCharles A. Kapelke '96, one of Hruschka'sroommates.

"When he came home from the hospital you couldtell it'd be okay because Dan is just burstingwith positive energy," Kapelke says. "He madelight of it the whole time which made it easierfor everyone, including himself."

There were a few unavoidable difficulties,however, according to Hruschka.

"I had to drop two of my classes," he says. "Iended up taking just three math classes." And fora guy who says he likes to lift weights and run alot, "feeling low-energy and getting out of breathwas difficult," Hruschka says. To compensate,Hruschka says he picked up some other interests.

"I really seriously started playing guitar whenI first got cancer," he says.

Some of his new interests rubbed off on hisroommates, Kapelke says.

"The only drawback, besides the obviousclinical ones, was that he had a lot of free timeso that he started watching '90210' and sucked mein too," he says.

Hruschka, a math concentrator, says the biggestchange was in his outlook.

"Originally I really believed in math andscience and ultimate truth and everything, butthen I realized, when I saw all these doctorsguessing and not sure how to treat me, that itwasn't magic," he says. "I realized that there area lot of other aspects of life that are just asimportant."

Such as stories, he says.

"I got into reading a lot of books, from havinga need for something more human than mathematics,"Hruschka says. "Like literature, more preciselyoral literature, because you actually talk toother people and hear them, and interact withthem."

"He's gone from math to myth," his roommateKapelke says.

Hruschka says he hopes to go to the south ofFrance this summer to study fairytales and folktales.

Last summer, he worked as a researcher andwriter for Let's Go in the southern and centralparts of France, Hruschka says.

"It was very demanding and very grueling butnow that I've done it I'm glad I had such anintensive experience with the culture," he says.

Speaking French is nothing new for Hruschka,who says he deferred entrance into Harvard for ayear to live in Belgium.

"One day this lady came into my classroom inhigh school and said this is what you can do," hesays.

"I came home that night and said to my parents,Mom and Dad, I'm going to Europe."

Fortunately, Hruschka says, testicular canceris "the most curable form of cancer."

"99% of people survive it," he says.

"Now I'm much more aware," he says. "Like if Iget a bump or when my lymph nodes get swollen whenI get a cold, I get really nervous."

Hruschka says he wants to work to help otherswith the disease.

"Next year I hope to do something at BethIsrael to help other cancer patients," he says.

Hruschka's attitudes is rare, Hathi says.

"He's one of those rare people who's veryfriendly and warm and completely genuine," Hathisays. "Harvard is a place that is so full ofcompetition and insecurity and there are ways thatDan sails through that very easily."

And the tutor adds: "Probably at first onedoesn't understand that, but it's exactly thecharacter that helped him get through the cancer.