After Beating Bone Cancer, Aspiring Football Player Will Head To Citrus Bowl
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Among the number of people heading down to Florida to watch the Minnesota Gophers take on the Missouri Tigers in the Citrus Bowl on New Year's Day is the O'Brien family.
Dan O'Brien is an Associate Athletic Director and his son Casey is an aspiring football player at Cretin Derham Hall High School.
Casey and Dan missed last year's bowl game.
WCCO's Mike Max explains why the reason they missed it last year is also the reason why they'll appreciate attending so much this year.
Casey O'Brien grew up playing football with aspirations to continue his football career for years.
"Football was really a sport that I could do every day and never get tired of it. And I always just like to hang around football and just be around the game," Casey said.
See, he's got a football family.
His father is the Associate Athletic Director in charge of football for the Minnesota Gophers.
But last year he neither attended the Gophers' bowl game.
Casey was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer.
"We learned a lot about Casey," Dan O'Brien said. "And when you're in these situations, when you wake up every single day you get a chance to choose what kind of attitude you're going to have that day."
While Casey went through intense chemotherapy, mom and dad were with him and his brother 24-7.
"I've never seen a family handle a tougher situation. And Dan would fly to Chicago for a Big Ten event and would want to be with his son. [He'd] fly all the way back, stay on the couch with his son and then turn around and fly back to Chicago," Minnesota coach Jerry Kill said.
"It was really hard because he slept there at night and I slept there during the day, so we really didn't see each other. We wanted to make sure that someone was always here with Casey and that someone was with Shamus," Casey's mother, Chris O'Brien, said.
He beat the odd and wasreleased from the hospital. And Casey was even brought in by coach Kill to break the team down, a pre-game tradition.
"He was our lead. We followed his example. He never, ever lost focus. Never doubted that it was going to have the end that it did," Chris said.
So this year they will attend the bowl game together, making up for last year.
"We've learned about time and how valuable time is," Dan said. "We're learning now that our families are pretty important and we better enjoy the time we have with them."
The O'Briens are family that has lived, learned and served as an example without knowing it.
"That family is incredible. And their kids are incredible, and Casey is a great example for all of us," Kill said.
Casey will play on Cretin's football team next fall.
