Jerry Kill – Minnesota

In 2005, Jerry Kill was coaching at Southern Illinois when he collapsed on the sideline. He chalked it up to the seizures he had been experiencing and prepared for the next game as he always did. To his surprise the doctor asked to speak with him in person to review the test results after the collapse. Since Coach Kill was deep in game preparation mode, he requested the doctor just tell him the news over the phone. The news: Kill had kidney cancer, a rare disease with which 50,000 Americans are diagnosed each year. He was shocked, but like everything else in the coach’s life - he came up with a plan. Kill would have surgery and beat it.

“I was so fortunate to receive great treatment,” Kill said.

In his travels with his wife to the hospital for treatment, he realized how many people did not have the same opportunities.

“I was in a good position, but not everyone else was,” Kill said. “It was heartbreaking to see firsthand.”

Kill and his wife sprang into action and created a fund to help those battling cancer and other childhood diseases. Working with Southern Illinois Healthcare, a not-for–profit health care system comprised of three hospitals in the southern Illinois region, the Coach Kill Cancer Fund was formed.

Coach Kill described how it works, saying, “People can receive help with babysitting costs while receiving treatment, even get help to pay for a wig if they are undergoing chemotherapy.”

People in need simply apply for assistance through the Coach Kill Cancer Fund.

“It’s a great feeling when we hear from these patients,” Kill says. “They are so appreciative.”

Kill feels fortunate to help. He says in many ways getting cancer was a blessing because it’s allowed him to give back and touch the lives of so many people. As for Kill’s health, his cancer is in remission; he’s still on seizure medicine and has to be monitored. All and all, Kill says he feels great and recognizes he’s a role model. Despite battling health issues, he’s found great success on the football field and been recognized for those successes by his colleagues. Most recently, he was hired in December to be the head coach at Minnesota, after leaving the same post at Northern Illinois.

“I think I’m proof that you can have a disability and still conquer your dreams,” Kill says.

Kill says after football, he plans to devote all his time to helping those battling cancer. He’s made a promise to himself and to those he’s helped in the past, that despite leaving Illinois, he’s still going to work for the underserved people there. He hasn’t decided how he’ll spend his spare time yet at Minnesota, but he does know one thing: he doesn’t want football to be his legacy.

“I will continue to give back,” Kill says. “I will continue tell others that they too can survive cancer.”

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