Singleton Tackled Leukemia Head On : Arizona: A year after being struck by the disease, he’s back at linebacker for the Wildcats.

Kevin Singleton said it was in late June or early July of 1989 that he began to feel fatigued while working out.

“I just thought I was overworking, so I’d just take a week off,” the Arizona linebacker said. “That week turned into a year.”

On July 13, 1989, it was determined that Singleton had acute leukemia. Chemotherapy and other treatments began, and they took their toll as his weight dropped from 235 to 200 pounds. It was the low point, physically and emotionally, for this strong young man from Parsippany, N.J.

“The whole time, I was pretty much down,” Singleton said from Tucson. “I had to have a lot of support from my family and people who cared about me. It was a down point the whole time. There is no up point about having leukemia.”

A medical dictionary defines leukemia as a disease of the blood-forming tissues wherein abnormal white blood cells are found in the bloodstream in unusual numbers.

Asked what he knew about the disease at the time, Singleton said: “Nothing.” And his reaction when told that he had what can be a fatal disease? “I thought they’ve got to be kidding. I didn’t even know that it was related to cancer. That’s how ignorant I was on the subject.”

Singleton said he began to study the disease and, as he did, his attitude improved as he learned “what was going on in my body.”

Kevin Singleton has an identical twin, Chris, a former All-American linebacker at Arizona now playing for the New England Patriots. “Chris has been my life-support system,” Kevin said, and he meant it literally.

In late January, Singleton received a bone marrow transplant from his brother.

“If I didn’t have an identical twin, I’d probably still be looking for a donor right now,” Singleton said. “I hear it takes about a year to wait for a donor. There would have been complications because leukemia doesn’t wait around for you.

“Chemotherapy will eventually break you down and kill you; I think because by using all those drugs you have kidney and liver failure and things like that.”

Singleton said he had chemotherapy treatments for two weeks every month for six months before the bone marrow transplant.

After the transplant, Singleton said he had six days of high-dose radiation treatment.

“I would lie in rice bags (for treatment) 20 minutes on each side of my body,” he said.

Singleton began the slow road back to recovery. He said he never told anyone he wanted to play football again, but kept his motivation to himself.

“I’ve always been a fighter and competitor and I applied that desire into fighting the disease,” he said.

He is apparently winning the fight, as he was on the field for Arizona’s opening game against Illinois on Sept. 8 and will play against UCLA Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

Asked how he felt when he got into the game against the Illini, Singleton said: “It was a definite step for me to see where I was. I played about 10 or 15 plays to see what I needed to work on to be Kevin Singleton again, the football player.”

His comeback astonishes and inspires his friends, teammates and coaches.

“It’s been an amazing thing for us to witness because he has been such a tremendous role model for everybody on how to handle extreme adversity,” Arizona Coach Dick Tomey said. “He was devastated when (the disease) occurred, and then the character and fight within him took over and he fought leukemia just like he has fought everything else in his life.

“He made a 3.0 grade-point average and battled back to be cleared to play medically--way, way before anyone thought he could do that. He’s a great example for all of us, and also made us realize how unimportant football really is at times.”

Singleton, a senior, was granted an additional year of eligibility by the NCAA.

“I’m doing great right now,” he said. “My strength is up and my endurance is doing well and I’m getting the feel of the game again.

“Taking a year off from the game takes a lot out of you, especially what I’ve been through. I think I’m at a high point now and can’t do anything but get better.”

He said he has been averaging about 20 plays a game and reasons that his playing time will increase as the season progresses.

Singleton, who weighs 220 pounds, said he can bench press 385 pounds, and his goal is to get to 400 pounds by the end of the season.

In March, only two months after the bone marrow transplant, he struggled to lift 135 pounds in the weight room. He was discouraged, but persevered.

Chris Singleton, first-round draft choice of the Patriots, said his brother’s attitude is a key element in the recovery process.

“He has always been upbeat and determined to get stronger,” Chris said. “It’s just another challenge for him. He didn’t sit back and let this thing bring him down. He attacked it, and every time he was feeling good, he was in the weight room or running or doing something to keep in shape, and to keep his sanity, I think.”

As for the bone marrow transplant, Chris said: “We’re blessed in that way. I’m very thankful that I had an opportunity to help him.”

Kevin Singleton said he’s used to calling his brother every other day, but he wants to wean himself from the frequent telephone calls. “I need to start handling things on my own,” he said. “It’s time we went our different ways.”

Chris isn’t so sure that will happen. “I don’t think he can stop (calling), and I don’t think I can either,” he said.

Dr. Robert Rifkin, the associate director of the bone marrow transplant program at the Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson, said there is a 45% to 60% chance that Kevin will not have a relapse.

“On the surface, those don’t sound like good odds,” Dr. Rifkin told the Mesa (Ariz.) Tribune. “But what must be kept in mind is that (this type of) acute leukemia is a disease that tends to relapse.”

Said Singleton: “I’ve been told that it takes about three years to say you’re cured. I’m in total remission now. There are no signs of any kind. If there were, I’d be having problems now.”

Singleton, 23, doesn’t plan to join his brother in pro football.

“Only 1% (of the players) make the pros, and I have a slim chance of making it,” he said. “I just want to get my degree, coach or do something and go on about my life. I’m just happy to be alive, to tell you the truth.”