Joshua Paschal

In March of 2020, I was fortunate to attend the Young Investigators Draft hosted by Uplifting Athletes, an organization that supports research for treatments and cures of rare diseases. At the event, Josh Paschal was named to the inaugural 2019 Rare Disease Champions team for his inspirational return to the field after being diagnosed with malignant melanoma. I spoke with Josh and his parents at the conclusion of the ceremony about the idea of a group focused on supporting athletes with cancer. Josh’s humble, insightful and enthusiastic responses was a catalyst to moving this effort forward. As TMWRK transitions to Athletes Fighting Cancer, this is the perfect opportunity to showcase one of the earliest members of our team.

Joshua Paschal grew up playing sports in Prince George’s County, Maryland – where he emerged as a start football recruit. “Football is my happy place… it allows me to get away and just have fun.”

With dozens of scholarship offers on the table, he chose the University of Kentucky – where he played in every game as a freshman and started in the Music City Bowl – a promising start to his college career. But one day he noticed something on his foot, thought to be a blood blister or plantars wart. Unsure of what was going on, he scheduled a doctor’s visit.

“I wasn’t stressed heading into my appointments because I thought it was something minor. I never thought about getting cancer. But the diagnosis caught us off guard. When I first found out, I was shocked… but I was in front of my family and I wanted to stay strong,” Josh told me. They learned he had malignant melanoma.

Josh’s parents stayed with him for a month; his mom wrote scripture on posterboard and post-its displayed throughout his room. When his parents had to leave, his sister Kristian moved into his apartment and became his main advocate. “I never felt alone,” Josh said. “My family, parents, sister and brother, they all rallied around me and kept me strong.”

When asked who else helped him throughout his journey, Josh shared – “James Conner’s story was powerful, it’s special… but I didn’t have to look too far because I had Coach Schlarman right there. He has an amazing story and is a legend in the making.”

John Schlarman, an assistant coach at UK, was diagnosed with metastatic cholangiocarcinoma, a malignancy known to have a poor prognosis. But by all accounts, Coach Schlarman never let cancer dictate his life. His optimism, positive energy, work-ethic, strength and commitment was incredible. He had a positive influence on anyone he met; he was a hero to many, but especially to Josh during this challenging time.

Josh would undergo several surgeries and was started on monthly immunotherapy treatments. “It was humbling… but it helped me see that everyone is going through something, some kind of struggle. It made me grateful”.