Ducks’ Holan Has Leukemia : Hockey: Defenseman will keep playing while he awaits critical bone-marrow transplant.

Mighty Duck defenseman Milos Holan has been diagnosed with a slow-progressing form of leukemia, and he will need a bone-marrow transplant to survive, doctors said Sunday, but Holan will try to keep playing while searching for a donor.

“We did find this at a very, very early stage of the disease,” said team physician Craig Milhouse. “Milos is healthy at the moment. He is cleared to play hockey by the multitude of doctors we have involved. There’s no reason he can’t continue to play hockey. Because of the nature of the disease, we don’t know when something would arise to change that.”

Holan has Chronic Granulocytic Leukemia, which initially progresses slowly, beginning in a chronic phase with few symptoms but later developing into an acute phase that can lead to death within months. The average onset of the acute phase is about 3 1/2 years after diagnosis, but it can take as long as 10 years. Because the disease in its acute phase is particularly resistant to treatment, experts advise bone-marrow transplants as soon as a donor is found.

“I just want to say this is a very tough situation for me but I am going to beat this because I want to play hockey for the Mighty Ducks for a long time,” said Holan, 24, who learned of his diagnosis shortly before the season began but asked team the team not to make his condition public until he was prepared to announce it.

He did that Sunday afternoon, with his wife, Irena, behind him, composed at first but then wiping away tears with the back of her hand and later with both hands as Holan spoke. The couple has a 4-year-old daughter, Veronica.

The search for a marrow donor is already underway, but Holan already learned that his only sister is not a match after she traveled from the Czech Republic to be tested.

“If Milos had a twin brother that would be the best chance of finding a match,” Milhouse said, urging people to be tested as potential donors for all leukemia patients, much as the family of Michelle Carew, the daughter of Angel hitting coach Rod Carew, has. Michelle Carew recently was diagnosed with Acute Nonlymphatic Leukemia, a form of the disease that is more severe in its early stages.

If a match is found, Holan will undergo a transplant almost immediately, and Milhouse said, “We would hope that he would have a cure from the transplant and he would live a normal life like all of us in this room.”

Statistics on survival rates vary, but Holan is being told that as a fit, young athlete his chances are as good as 75%.

Holan’s diagnosis was made after doctors ordered additional tests after noting an abnormally high white blood-cell count during his preseason physical. Holan had some difficulty accepting the diagnosis, in part because he felt so good.

“I didn’t feel anything. Everything felt like before. I played in games, I practiced, I lifted weights,” he said.

Said Milhouse: “He’ll tell you he feels fine. Based on the stage of the disease at this time, that’s exactly what we’d expect.”

Holan is taking medication to lower his white-blood cell count, but Milhouse said it has no side effects other than slight nausea. Holan’s blood will be tested weekly, and if he becomes anemic or his platelet count is abnormal, doctors will reassess whether he should be playing.

Holan knew he might have leukemia for most of the exhibition season, but played in eight of the team’s nine games, and privately told his teammates of his condition before the final two exhibition games.

He did not play against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday after making the emotional announcement, but Coach Ron Wilson said he will play against the Colorado Avalanche tonight in Denver.

“He could play for two years and this could remain chronic,” Wilson said. “It’s hard for everybody to understand, but you’ve got to go about life as normal as possible and stay in a positive frame of mind. A positive attitude is one of the most important things in beating a situation like this.”

Said Holan: “I don’t think about this. I’m just looking forward to spending a lot of time with my wife and my kid. I’m not thinking about this.”