Submitted to The Herald-Sun
DURHAM -- Niko Harlan graduated from Duke University in the spring of 2001.
He started a as a programmer in a cognitive psychology research lab at Duke that summer, taking part in a routine study as a staff member to bolster the number of subjects involved. After an initial screening by functional MRI, however, he was given -- at age 21 -- completely unexpected news: There was a tumor in his brain.
The tumor was stable. Doctors at Duke watched it carefully over the ensuing years and for a while it didn't appear to grow. For four years, Harlan had no symptoms whatsoever -- with the exception of the inevitable stress caused by knowing about the tumor.
In 2005, however, the tumor began to manifest its presence with seizures. Chemotherapy from 2006 through 2007 checked its growth for a while, but after a second round of chemotherapy was necessitated from June 2008 to December 2009, an MRI showed that more invasive treatment was called for.
A research study at UCLA offered a promising new vaccine therapy for this kind of tumor, so Harlan and his support crew -- brother, sisters, mother and friends -- traveled to California in December. Linda Liau, a UCLA neurosurgeon, removed 60 to 70 percent of the growth, carefully working to preserve the nearby healthy tissue to maintain motor function.
He began a six-week radiation and chemotherapy regimen in early February at Duke, with the hope that the tumor will stabilize sufficiently for him to enroll in the vaccine trial later this year.
The treatment costs have mounted, though, so the Niko Cup against Cancer was born.
Harlan has been a mainstay of the soccer culture in Durham for a decade. The world's most popular sport is played daily throughout the Triangle in dozens of come-who-may scrimmages. Players find like-minded teammates and opponents, often semi-organizing for regular pickup games with whomever shows up.
"My wife calls it the church of soccer," says Kevin Young. For the past 10 years, a cohesive group has met nearly every Sunday, rain or shine, at varying locations in Durham.
Harlan joined this informal game in 2006. A few of the players became aware of his situation. "I'd been thinking that our group could do something for the past couple of years," says Scott Proescholdbell, "but nothing ever seemed to make sense."
But with Harlan's recent treatment in California, that changed. Within two weeks, 48 players had signed up to participate in a Sunday morning tournament, the Niko Cup against Cancer. It's a one-time fund-raising event scheduled for Feb. 21, with eight six-player teams offering donations and accepting pledges and sponsorship to help Harlan and his family pay for the cost of treatment.
"It's been a tremendous response," says Proescholdbell. "Players have really stepped up."
Craig Mann, captain of the team T-Cells United, created a Web site, www.nikocup.com, which details the event and serves as a gateway to several related sites, including Harlan and his family's blog, an online donation site set up by family friends, and a Facebook page.
"Reading about the planning for the Niko Cup was a huge morale boost for us while we were in Los Angeles waiting out the recovery period from the surgery," says Harlan's brother, Kosta Harlan. "If it wasn't for financial support from friends, family, and the Niko Cup, we wouldn't be able to pursue the best treatment available for Niko," he adds.
"The Niko Cup was an extraordinary surprise," Niko Harlan said. "One reason I love team sports is the feeling of camaraderie and togetherness, and to see that manifested in all the work that's gone into the tournament is overwhelming."
The tournament championship will include teams The Six Nikoteers, The Knights Who Say Ni(ko)!, and The Harlan Globe Kickers.
"Niko and his family could use all the financial and moral support they can get," says Augie Kreivenas. "Niko and his family are wonderful people, and it's heartbreaking for Niko to have to go through what he is going through at such an early age in his life."
Steven Powell is a freelance writer and will compete for T-Cells United in the Niko Cup. The Web site www.nikocup.com offers interested parties the information needed to contribute toward Harlan's treatment.
