Team Doolin looks to defy diagnosis

Joyce Wagner
In Motion Staff Writer

Optimism and hope might seem elusive after receiving the diagnosis of a rare cancer, but Rick Doolin shows it is possible.

Family and friends consider Doolin a superhero for his valiant fight despite his disease. At a recent event in November, Doolin and his wife, Stacey, arrived at the Paragon Theaters in Daytona for a showing of “Thor”, They were greeted by a crowd of enthusiastic well-wishers, several sporting t-shirts with with popular superheroes on them.

In keeping with the theme, Kristin Mixell, a DSC adjunct professor and former student of Doolin’s, heads up Team Doolin Superhero Alliance. In addition to fundraisers, Mixell and the Alliance try to find ways to meet the needs of the entire Doolin family. “It’s not just about raising money, but uplifting the Team in every way,” said Mixell. “One (way) is giving them great experiences to celebrate and look forward to in their uncertain reality.”

That night was a good night for Doolin who has been going through chemotherapy. “I feel pretty good. I have chemo every three weeks. I don’t have chemo again until next week, so I’m two and a half weeks out. That’s why I feel pretty good,” said Doolin. But after chemo? “I sleep for about eight days. It’s nasty. Mean stuff.”

“Not being able to teach has been hard on him,” said Stacey. “We’re going to have to be really creative to figure our how to still connect, because he’s still got a lot of stuff to do, he just can’t do it necessarily standing up every day.”

Doolin, a Daytona State College biology and anatomy professor, has been ill since fall 2012 when he began having difficulty breathing. Suspecting the problem to be pneumonia, he took medical leave. Treatment however, did nothing to improve his condition.

In June, doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville scheduled Doolin for surgery to remove his damaged pericardial sac, the fibrous membrane which surrounds the heart, once they determined where the problem was. It was during surgery that the cancer, pericardial mesothelioma, was discovered. He woke from surgery to hear the devastating news. “It’s a bad day when you wake up from open-heart surgery and it gets worse,” Doolin said. “It was a surprise to get cancer.”

Pericardial mesothelioma is a rare cancer affecting the lining around the heart muscle. It represents about 5 percent of all mesotheliomas which can be associated with asbestos. There have been only 200 cases reported worldwide. Doolin has no known exposure to asbestos, but research has shown that it is possible for mesothelioma to develop up to 50 years after a person has been exposed to asbestos.

Doolin, 48, has already survived Hodgkin’s lymphoma, cancer of the immune system, which he was diagnosed with at the age of 17. “Having cancer at a young age hit me pretty hard,” Doolin said. “It made me think about what I really wanted to do with my life.”

This time, the prognosis isn’t as promising. “My doctors told me that all I could really do was pray,” Doolin said. “We try to stay positive, but we have our moments.” He and Stacey made the choice to celebrate life instead of grieving the diagnosis. “We couldn’t think of a lot of things that we would have done differently,” Stacey said. “We have had an amazing life together and done everything we wanted to.”

Family, friends and community, including DSC students, faculty and staff, have surrounded the couple and their two sons, Jesse, 9 and Noah, 6, with physical and emotional support. Their Facebook page, Team Doolin is filled with uplifting and encouraging scriptures and comments. Stacey keeps followers apprised of their daily trials and tribulations, as well as triumphs and joys through the Facebook postings. “I just really cannot believe how much support there is for a guy who is just doing what he enjoys,” said Stacey.

Doolin is known by students for keeping lessons educational and interesting. “It’s not just a matter of here’s the information, you need to learn it,” said Stacey. “It’s that he knows that it’s their future being built. He changed his whole direction in life based on one really good teacher he had in college.”

For now, the focus is on his family. Doolin spends as much time as possible with Stacey and their boys. “The kids give him something to fight for,” Stacey said. “They are so young and they need their dad.”

Like a true superhero, Doolin and his family power forward through each day. The strength they find in each other is magnified by the support they receive from family, friends and community. This alliance is invaluable as Doolin continues chemotherapy and the fight of his life.

To follow and support the Doolin family, go to Team Doolin and Team Doolin Superhero Alliance on Facebook. For more information about mesothelioma, visit www.curemeso.org.