Redemption comes in form of county title
A year after cancer surgery, Hoboken’s D’Onofrio leads Red Wings to Seglio girls title
Mike D’Onofrio has been coaching the girls’ basketball team at Hoboken High School for 18 years now. He’s loved every minute of the tenure, doing whatever he could to maintain a program while giving his all to his girls.
“I love coaching the kids,” D’Onofrio said. “The kids keep me in a positive frame of mind and keep me going.”
A little more than a year ago, D’Onofrio needed anything and everything to keep him moving in a positive direction. Last November, D’Onofrio was diagnosed with stomach cancer.
“I didn’t think it was anything serious, other than gas,” D’Onofrio said. “I had it for like two months and decided to have it checked. The first CAT scans showed nothing, but I also had an endoscopy done and they took a sample. They found the cancer in the biopsy.”
This happened right before the 2002-2003 season was going to begin. D’Onofrio was going to require radical surgery, removing nearly 75 percent of his stomach.
“I didn’t want the kids to know,” D’Onofrio said. “But they were preparing for the season while I was preparing for the operation, so they had to know.”
D’Onofrio had the surgery on Dec. 10, 2002 at the world famous Sloan-Kettering Memorial Cancer Center in New York.
“When you’re told you have cancer, it really hits you,” D’Onofrio said. “Of course, you start thinking of the future. It’s only natural to think that way. You think of everything. You think of your family, your friends and your faith. All of those things came together.”
D’Onofrio relied upon the strength of his wife, Jane, and their three sons, Christopher, Jonathan and Justin, to get him through the tough times.
“You don’t realize how good you have it until you’re faced with something like this,” D’Onofrio said. “My friends came to the house to shovel the snow. My sisters came over on a daily basis to help me. My wife and kids were supportive. The doctors were always optimistic with me, telling me to keep a positive frame of mind. There’s really not much more you can do.”
Added D’Onofrio, “People sent me crosses and prayers. Believe me, it helped a lot. I read prayers every night. I still do it. It meant a lot to me.”
After the radical surgery, D’Onofrio had to endure the grueling chemotherapy and radiation treatments that come with battling cancer.
“My assistant coach, Larry Avitable [who is also a guidance counselor at Hoboken], kept everything together,” D’Onofrio said. “He came and brought me to practices and games. He was a huge help.”
D’Onofrio wanted to go to as many practices and games as possible. Sometimes, his health just didn’t allow it. But he was there as much as he could stand.
“It was something for me to look forward to,” D’Onofrio said. “I had 25 days straight of radiation, so it took its toll on me. I would go to chemo, then go right to a practice. But Larry kept it all together. I actually couldn’t wait to get back to the gym. Having a good team with a good bunch of kids really helped. That was half the battle.”
The 52-year-old D’Onofrio made it through the chemo and radiation, finishing his cycle last June. Doctors gave him a clean bill of health. He was cancer-free. He has to go back to Sloan-Kettering for check-ups every three months, just to insure that the cancer doesn’t come back.
“But I haven’t needed any treatments since June,” D’Onofrio said. “I’ve just remained positive and not thought much about it. I’ve always been optimistic.”
When the time came for the first practice of the 2003-2004 season, Mike D’Onofrio was healthy. He had shed about 40 pounds and got tired on occasions, but he was alive and thriving.
The Red Wings welcomed a host of players back from a year ago, including the Foster sisters, namely senior Sabrina and junior Katrina, two of the five Foster sisters who have played for D’Onofrio over the years.
“The sisters are a close-knit group,” said D’Onofrio, who also had Tenisha, Valeria and Desiree Foster play for him over the years. “They all really stuck together.”
But adversity struck the sisters last year – right around the same time D’Onofrio was beginning his battle – when their mother passed away.
“When they lost their mother, it had a big effect on them,” D’Onofrio said. “We all had to deal with a lot of adversity. But we all stuck together.”
The Red Wings, with the Foster sisters and Somaira Serrano and Suleima Gonzalez and Crystal Gracesqui, returned with something to prove this year. Even though County Prep had won the last two HCIAA Seglio Division championships and had done so in impressive fashion, hardly ever losing a single game to Hudson County foes along the way, the Red Wings managed to stay close and in contention as the playoffs began.
Although the Red Wings lost both regular season games to the defending league champion, D’Onofrio had confidence that the Red Wings could upset the Hurricanes in the league finals.
“We played close games with them twice,” D’Onofrio said. “And we were ahead in both games, only to lose the lead. I just think we needed to get over the hump. I knew that they were the champs and we had to take it away from them. But we had confidence this time and the breaks came our way.”
Maybe it was fate. Maybe it was destiny, but the breaks did go the Red Wings’ way. Sabrina Foster scored 22 points, taking it upon herself to be the team’s leader, hitting shot after shot. The rest of the team fell into place and Hoboken had a 45-44 victory and the HCIAA Seglio Division title that comes with the win.
Sure, County Prep was playing without its best player, Erica Fischer, who had suffered a knee injury two weeks ago that will eventually require surgery. But take nothing away from the Red Wings. It was their day. It was a day for the Foster sisters to remember their mother and it was a day for Mike D’Onofrio to thank his lucky stars that he was able to enjoy the fruits of the school’s first-ever girls’ basketball championship.
Incredibly, the Red Wings pitched a zero just three years ago, going the entire season without a victory. Now, they can call themselves county champs. It’s almost too much of a fairytale to believe.
“It was a long time coming,” D’Onofrio said. “There is a little bit of a storybook ending to this. I’m just happy for the kids. They’re the ones who stuck together. For me, it may sound corny, but it’s all about faith. I had to keep the faith. I can’t say how much it has meant to me and helped me.”
After the game was over and the Red Wings were accepting their trophy, D’Onofrio looked at his friend and assistant Avitable.
“He was crying,” D’Onofrio said. “I asked him why he was crying and then it hit me. He felt it for me. It was a great feeling. It really was.”
D’Onofrio said that he’s tried to put the last 14 months in its proper perspective, but it’s so hard when the battle is never over, the battle against the biggest foe of all, namely cancer.
“I think going through this makes you accept everything else easier,” D’Onofrio said. “It makes you content more. I’m relaxed now. I’m at ease. Things don’t bother me as much anymore. I can handle anything.”
Sure seems that way.