Paul Burish recently attended a Boys Basketball game at Manitowoc’s JFK Fieldhouse. While that normally wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for the Lincoln High School graduate, it marked Paul’s first visit to LHS since his 2nd bout with leukemia resulted in a bone marrow transplant 4-months ago.
Burish has served as a color analyst on 1240 AM WOMT for basketball and football for over a decade. Burish and his caregiver, wife Cathi, joined Damon Ryan for an interview on the Bank First Halftime Show and told us he’s “feeling really good”, but admitted his energy level isn’t yet where it needs to be “just because of the process of having the transplant.” Paul’s wife Kathy keeps reminding him that the recovery process is “a marathon, not a sprint. You have to be patient, and sometimes that’s the hardest thing to do.”
Paul explained he had a life-saving transplant on October 2nd in Milwaukee. “At Froedert, all the nurses came in and sang Happy Birthday to me because they said ‘You have a new life now’.” The doctor told Burish that his procedure went very well and that they just added 25 years to his life.
Burish said “the only thing he knows about his donor is that it’s a male from Europe” and Paul is extremely grateful. He explains anyone between the ages of 18-and-57 can be a living bone marrow transplant donor, calling it a very simple, painless method.
You can find more information on how to join the Bone Marrow Registry by visiting bethematch.org OR go to a health provider and they’ll give you a kit to allow for a cotton swab on the inside of your cheek. Then, the prospective donor can mail it in a field container to the National Donor Registry.
