Colantonio returns to ring, and college, cancer-free

By Mary Albl of Dyestat 

Bobby Colantonio stepped into his favorite throwing ring Aug. 1 at Conley Stadium in Providence, R.I.

It’s where he’s constructed some of his farthest throws and best memories.

And that was an especially good day for Colantonio, because it was the first time in just about a year he’d been there to throw. 

“It felt amazing, almost felt like surreal being able to get back at it,” he said. 

Nine months ago Colantonio was told he had a 20 percent chance of survival; never mind the idea of picking up a hammer ever again.  

For the Barrington High graduate and All-American thrower, this moment came on the heels of Aug. 15, 2016 – the day he found out he had a cancerous bone tumor in his left femur, which was later diagnosed as Ewing’s Sarcoma – a type of tumor that forms in bone or soft tissue. It later spread to his left hip and lungs. 

It’s been a challenging and life-changing year for Colantonio. But now, a year later, one of the most promising young throwers is in remission and back in the ring. 

“The fact that I was blessed and able to make the progress that I did, the treatments worked the way they did, the fact the doctors couldn’t be happier cancer-wise with how my body responded to the treatments, was a feeling that was surreal,” Colantonio said. “That’s when I knew that there is hope of me throwing. It may not be as fast as I want, but I’m going to make it happen.”

Since his diagnosis late last summer, which occurred during a sports physical at the University of Alabama, Colantonio’s life plan has taken a different direction.

Instead of starting his freshman year at Alabama, he was back living at home in Rhode Island with his parents fighting for his life. 

“l just tackled every day, one day at a time and not to get ahead of myself,” Colantonio said. “Every day was different not knowing what to expect next.”

Colantonio was treated at the Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence. He explained on the days he was admitted, he would arrive at the clinic around 10 a.m. after fasting for 12 hours. He would then get blood work done and wait around for about an hour for the results to see if his blood counts made the minimum to receive treatment. 

“I needed platelets three times a week and red blood once a week. In addition, I had to take a shot every day in order to stimulate my bone marrow to get my white cells to recover,” Colantonio said. “After treatments, my platelets would drop to almost zero and my white cells were zero. The chemo I was on was no joke, I found that out very quick.”

Chemotherapy turned out to be one of the biggest battles for the 6-foot-3 Colantonio as he lost his hair and went from 245 pounds down to 200. He asked for the chemo drug to be given overnight because of the side effects. When he wasn’t sleeping or playing on his iPad, he was throwing up. 

“There honestly wasn’t much that I could do because I was so sick,” he said. “The second I stood up out of bed, the motion killed me, and I would vomit.”

In addition, he had radiation five days a week, taking breaks on Saturday and Sunday. Colantonio had approximately 120 radiation treatments when they radiated each site where there was cancer – the primary site the left femur, total lungs, right proximal femur and left acetabulum. He had 14 cycles of chemo overall. 

“The chemo and radiation literally eats away at the bones and makes them weaker,” Colantonio said. “It also slows down the resurfacing process that bones go through. So, in order to not do that, I was on crutches from the time I came home till about December where I then went to one crutch. In January/February, I was off both.” 

Colantonio received his last chemo treatment April 18. About a week or two after that, he was back on the grind.

Colantonio started with air squats at home for a few weeks, then progressed to the gym, going from a stick, to a 15-pound bar, to a 35-pound bar and then a regular 45-pound bar when he felt ready. 

“It was tough, the workouts were tiring and it was very easy to get sore. I wasn’t discouraged at all at how weak I was, but more shocked,” he said. “Reality kind of hit me good. My heart rate would be super high, I would get winded easy and get headaches, all because the chemo and radiation damaged my internals.”

But over time, it’s gotten better and better for Colantonio. All the while he’s kept a positive outlook – a strength he credits to his faith. 

To celebrate his remission, Colantonio got a tattoo on his chest of a prominent cross with the scripture Jeremiah 29:11. 

The story behind the tattoo comes from seven years ago when his sister, Nicole Allyn, gave him the cross. It was one of the items he brought to Alabama with him a year ago.

Colantonio said on the car ride home after being diagnosed, he reached into his bag to locate his phone charger. Immediately he felt the cross, pulled it out and read it. Since then, the cross has become the biggest sign of hope for him.

“The odds of that lining up was no mistake or coincidence,” Colantonio said. “That to me was a direct sign from Him and exactly what the verse says at the end, ‘a future and a hope.’ Being in remission, and ahead of when I was supposed to be placed into remission, was why I wanted to get the tattoo now, before I left for school and started my new life. My dad always stressed mental toughness, discipline, control and most importantly to believe in yourself and to have faith.” 

Colantonio left Wednesday for Alabama and will be on a medical scholarship as a freshman, basically taking a redshirt year as he rebuilds and recovers from the lingering side effects of treatment. 

He is currently on a maintenance chemo that is part of a clinical trial. He will have eight treatments to finish up at the children’s hospital in Birmingham. Last, he’ll still have scans every three months to look for cancer.

This summer, watching the IAAF World Outdoor Championships and Pan American U-20 Championships have brought about mixed emotions. The elite prep thrower in 2016 one of the top 10 U-20 performers in the world knows he could have been there. But like he’s battled cancer, Colantonio knows everything happens for a reason. 

“It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish,” he said. “And if I finish where I want to be … making an Olympic team and competing in the Olympics, I think will be all worth it in the end.”