Message from Shane Abrell:

Coach Mike Saylor's All-Star Game, Chili Supper and Silent Auction:

I have had quite a few emails/texts/phone calls regarding a charity basketball game.

Terre Haute South will be hosting a basketball game, chili supper and a silent auction on Friday, April 26th. The details of this event will be released later this week in a flyer. I will post the flyer on here for everyone to view and share.

After speaking with school administrators, they decided it would be best if the school put together the details of this particular event. We have various staff members that will be in charge of the chili supper and silent auction. I will be putting together the game with the help of Coach Saylor, his family, and Principal Chris Mauk. Coach Saylor has given me a list of names of former players that I will start contacting tomorrow.

I have been working with his daughters for the past couple of weeks and want this to be something they are a huge part of. With their help, we came up with bracelets that read, "This SAYLOR ship won't sink!" (red w/ white lettering. picture attached) I placed the order for these bracelets on Friday and they will take 7-10 days to come in. I will advise everyone as soon as they come in. The bracelets will sell for $3.

What can you do to help? We will be looking for items to auction off at the chili supper. Sports memorabilia, gift certificates, dinner, clothing, gift baskets, etc. Anything you can think of. We will also be looking for game sponsors. We will have different levels established for sponsor amounts. I will create a sponsorship form once the rosters have been established for the 2 teams.

I have no doubt that this will be a fantastic event and I look forward to bringing everyone together for such a great person!

Continuing to pray for Coach Saylor and his family!

DAVID HUGHES: Childhood friends use faith, sports to get them through

David Hughes
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — When I learned in February 2009 that a rare form of appendix cancer would devastate my life and cause me to miss work for several months, Mike Saylor was among the first to offer assistance.

A friend since the mid-1970s, when we attended Terre Haute South High School together, Saylor said he was willing to provide rides to the treatment center of my choice. Family members and another friend ended up driving me to the University of Cincinnati Hospital in 2009 and early 2010, but I appreciated Saylor’s thoughtfulness nonetheless.

Then Jim Bogle, another longtime friend and a South basketball standout in 1978-79 when the Braves reached the state finals for a third straight year, was diagnosed with major salivary gland cancer in December 2011.

Again, Saylor was among the first to show sincere concern.

Now, it is Saylor’s turn to fight that cruelest of foes — cancer. In his case, it’s a form of melanoma. He first noticed a problem in his rib area in 2011.

“The cancer was underneath the ribs and pushing upward,” he told me last week. “Doctors first thought it was broken ribs that had been fused together and stuck out oddly.”

As the months crawled by, Saylor noticed the pain increasing. A CAT scan and biopsy revealed he had cancer.

Soon, he will travel to Houston to undergo treatments at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. Married with three daughters and employed as a teacher of physical education at South, Saylor must make major adjustments in his life, which won’t be easy or inexpensive.

Learning to battle adversity

If the name “Mike Saylor” sounds familiar, it should.

As a dedicated young athlete, Saylor got cut from the high school basketball team at South, only to earn a spot on an NCAA Division I roster at Indiana State as a 6-foot-3 walkon in the early 1980s.

He later served as an assistant coach for the ISU men’s team (1985-89) and Terre Haute South’s boys team (1989-1994 and 1995-2004). When the legendary Pat Rady decided to step down as the Braves’ head coach following the 2003-04 season, Saylor became his successor.

Seven seasons later, Saylor resigned with a career record of 103-69 against one of the most difficult Class 4A schedules in Indiana.

Interviewed after his final game with the Braves in March 2011, he reflected on his favorite coaching accomplishments.

“The main things were helping the kids and getting the kids [college] scholarships,” Saylor told me as we stood in the Northview High School gym.

“The final four [in 2005], the final eight [in 2009], being in the sectional finals four out of seven years, the two Pizza Hut [Wabash Valley] Classic championships [in 2004 and 2007] … they were great. Another one of the things I’m most proud of was the way the kids developed while they were in the program.”

But as much as Saylor enjoyed being part of a basketball family — which over the years included Brian Evans, Steve Hart, Maynard Lewis, Armon Bassett and Jake Odum, to name a few — he enjoyed spending time with his real-life family more.

The toughest opponent yet

Saylor, 52, is approaching his new battle with the same athlete/coach competitive spirit that symbolized his pre-cancer life.

But he can’t do it alone. He needs reliable teammates.

Saylor encourages anyone and everyone to pray, not just for him, but for Bogle and other cancer patients around Terre Haute and all over the world.

“There are so many people out there battling cancer,” Saylor said. “They all need continued prayers.”

Bogle, for one, is hanging in there, although he’s not out of the woods yet. Unlike myself, he is not cancer-free.

“With a lot of doctors’ help, I’ve been battling it successfully,” noted Bogle, also 52. “But it’s an ongoing battle.”

Bogle and Saylor grew up as neighbors on South 11th Street. So when Bogle heard about Saylor’s recent cancer diagnosis, he didn’t hesitate to offer his help, the way Saylor previously offered to help him.

Bogle even drove Saylor to a doctor’s appointment in Indianapolis earlier this month.

“We played all sorts of sports together [as children],” Bogle recalled. “We did summer vacations together. … I’m thinking our paths were put together several years ago so we can fight this battle together now.”

Bogle said he and Saylor agree they will eventually beat cancer with the aid of their Christian belief in “faith and hope, love and support.”

How to be a teammate

Asked on Facebook what a person can do to help his cause, Saylor replied: “Pray to Jesus.”

Terre Haute attorney Mike Ellis, a longtime friend of Saylor’s and a 1978 South graduate, is offering an additional option.

He created “THE COACH MIKE SAYLOR BENEFIT FUND” Facebook group, which already has more than 1,620 members. He also helped start a separate website (www.coachmikesaylor.com) with a similar goal.

“I know he’s respected by a lot of people in the community and I know there are a lot of people who want to help,” Ellis explained. “So I wanted to give them the avenue to help.”

Ellis pointed out that most families are not in a financial position to handle unexpected significant medical expenses, even with insurance coverage through an employer.

Ellis promised that 100 percent of monetary donations to this fund will go toward paying for the Saylors’ transportation to and from Houston, motels, child care and medical expenses not covered by insurance.

Donations can be deposited into the “Coach Mike Saylor Benefit Fund” account at any First Financial Bank location or they can be dropped off at Ellis Law Office, 417 Wabash Ave.

Down the road, a benefit basketball game in the South gym and a tennis tournament are expected to raise funds for the cause. Those are probably weeks away, though, and the Saylors are receiving medical bills now.

“Friends help each other out any way they can,” Ellis said of why he’s putting in so much time to assist Saylor.

Ellis is right, so I pledge $50 that I’ll take to First Financial Bank early this week.

It’s the least a cancer survivor can do for a cancer patient.

David Hughes can be reached after 4 p.m. by phone at 1-800-783-8742, Option 4, or at (812) 231-4276; by e-mail at david.hughes@tribstar.com; or by fax at (812) 231-4321.

 

Tomorrow I travel to Indianapolis again with my childhood friend Jim Bogle. I have a 10:00 first consult with a surgeon (wooden) from the IU Med, Center. Afterwards, I will meet a new oncologist at the IU med center as well. Please pray for Jim to be completely healed also.

I assume that sometime afterward I will learn of their game plan for me. Major surgery from right chest to the back as well as under the rt. armpit is what it looks like they are going to start with.

I am forever indebted to such a large number of people for their kindness that they have shown me and my family. Terre Haute is a hub for some of the sweetest most genuine people in the world.

My plea to everyone is to focus on Jesus and to stay away fro sugars. Eat and drink healthy so that you can glorify Gods temple. Unfortunately, my focus was rarely exactly right. I believe that God wants us to live a long life to love, praise and glorify God through the way we treat our fellow people.

I have been so blessed with a wife that is more beautiful and has loved me more than I ever thought was possible. She has been a miracle in my life.

The birth of each of my beautiful loving daughter were some of the greatest days of my life. They are my angels. Each time that I see them happy is like a bolt of happy was to me. I love my girls so much that I never longed for a son. They are 3 more miracles.

I consider myself to have raised by the most perfect parents that ever seen. I have see a lot of great parents also. My mother is directly from heaven because she is the kindest, considerate and most loving person ever. My father has always loved and supported me . He sacrificed many many dollars and ours so he could be with us kids throughout the years. I love them all dearly. They are miracles.

My three brothers and I have had a wonderful upbringing and life. Each one of us are unique in our own interests but we all are have the same integrity and the ability to love people that was instilled by my mother and dad. In times of need, we would all do anything for each other. They are my miracles.

I loved teaching and coaching the kids throughout my career. Those jobs were miracles as well Mexican Univ. UANL, Indiana State University and at Terre Haute South HS. I appreciate those opportunities and I want to thank all of the people involved with me having those jobs. Each job was a miracle that I could get involved.

As far as friends, I have been blessed with more friends and friendly acquaintances that anyone should be allowed to have. I have always loved getting to people. My dearest friends are probably my oldest friends. They all know who they are without listing them. Many of them have been miraculous to me throughout my life.

As you can see, my 52 year old life has been filled with miracles from God himself.

I love all of you wonderful people. Thank you for your prayers to our almighty God and savior Jesus Christ. God bless you and your families.

Thank so much for continued prayers.

-Mike

We have a blog for friends and family to share ideas, information, and events. The website for it is: http://www.coachmikesaylor.com/blog

We have a Facebook group! The link to the Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/127320674108442/

During the 2009/2010 season, Mike's team helped raise $500 for the American Cancer Society.