Last year, Mr. Nemecek received a crushing diagnosis. Known for being friendly, Mr. Nemecek had the support of students as he went into recovery for prostate cancer. But what happened over the holiday break?

As treatment for the cancer, Nemecek had a prostatectomy where a surgeon removes part or all of the prostate. In Nemechek’s case, everything was removed.

“The surgery day was great. They wheeled me into the operating room. It’s like everything you see on TV. The front of the gurney hit the door, then they opened up. Then I saw a guy with a syringe and asked, ‘Is that the anesthesia?’ And he said, ‘Yup.’ Then I don’t remember anything till 3 hours later when a guy said, ‘Hey, it’s over.’ 2 hours later, I woke up in the hospital room,” said Mr. Nemecek.

With improvements in medical technology, a robot actually helped the surgeon perform the surgery.

“Apparently, [the surgery] was 3 hours long. A guy ran a robot using little joysticks and it went really well,” said Mr. Nemecek.

Mr. Nemecek now awaits to see if the operation was successful.

“I feel pretty good. Now I’m just playing the waiting game. I just have to wait 3 months to see if anything comes back. They have to say if there are any more cancer cells in there. They have to wait a while because they die out, which they kind of have a half life to them apparently. So, in the middle of March I have to go back to get a blood test and see my doctor. They have to wait a little bit of time to see if I have the prostate cells back,” said Mr. Nemecek.

Until then, Nemecek is focusing on recovery. What does he do to cure his boredom?

“The first 8-10 days, I kind of felt really weak. I had to lay on my back because I had stitches on my front. That wasn’t really fun. But, after I got my staples out, I could move around a little more. I got a treadmill, so I started walking every day. I started at 1.5 miles and started working my way up. Right now, I either jog or run two miles a day and then I do the elliptical. I go home and lift weights. I’ve already walked 10,200 steps today, which is 5 miles. I feel like I’m starting to get back to normal, and it’s only been 7 weeks since the surgery,” said Mr. Nemecek.

Through these tough times, Nemecek will always have Day Creek by his side. 

“No matter what happens just know that everyone at Day Creek appreciates you and loves that you’re here. You bring joy to DCIS,” said 7th grader, Kalani MG.

“One of the coolest things was the posters that the girls made for me. My wife hung them on the mirrors in our house. She hung four of the posters there and one in our main bedroom. I got up all the time and read those,” said Mr. Nemecek.

Both students and staff have given him support throughout his recovery.

“Knowing that someone is there for him, I know it would really help. He’s going through a hard time, as I can relate, I know it’s not easy. So, all the support would really help,” said 7th grader, Avah C. 

Because he was basically stuck to his bed, things got a little boring. Luckily, he had ways to pass the time.

“Last summer I probably sat down for 20 hours, and I had all these [game ideas]. I put them in booklets to keep them organized. I want to go back and play all these fun games with my classes. I kinda got ‘charged’ again. I have about 300 games. I want to try as many as I can,” said Mr. Nemecek.

Mr. Nemecek’s game imagination post-surgery made his recovery a bit more bearable. While he can move freely, it took some rehabilitation. Initially, he had to go light on the exercise, something he thoroughly enjoys. 

“The only thing I was doing [over the break] was walking. When I first started, I couldn’t even make it around the block. I couldn’t walk my dogs, because they’d pull [on the leash]. So I had to start out really, really easy. I couldn’t lift weights for about four weeks, and I love doing that,” said Mr. Nemecek.

Mr. Nemecek’s transition back on campus has made the day much smoother with the support of students and faculty. He continues to receive admiration and encouragement. 

Thanks for being so thoughtful about our campus and putting smiles on students’ faces. We love you, Mr. Nemecek!