October 13, 1994: Vol26n6: Gengo family knows the value of SEFA firsthand

By ELLEN GOLDBAUM
News Bureau Staff
These days, nine-year-old Mike Gengo looks forward to the day when
he'll wear a Stanley Cup ring. He's already tried on the ring that
belongs to his friend, Craig Simpson of the Buffalo Sabres, and as far
as he's concerned, he's headed for an NHL championship career to
parallel, if not surpass, Simpson's.
	Dreams like these may not be uncommon among nine-year-olds.
But if Mike Gengo's struggle to overcome leukemia is any indication of
his perseverance, he may well be headed for the million-dollar NHL
contract he talks about signing one day. The son of Francis Gengo,
associate professor of pharmacy and neurology at UB and his wife Ann,
Mike was diagnosed with leukemia at three-and-a-half.
	"When he was first diagnosed, we went through a period of
shock, followed by what I can only describe as a period of chaos,"
said Dr. Gengo. During that time, Gengo and his wife were handed piles
of information about leukemia and about what the future might hold for
their little boy. Included in the pile was some information from the
WNY chapter of the Leukemia Society of America.
	"The tone of it was something like, 'Welcome to the club,
sorry to have you on board,'" Gengo recalled.
	There were invitations to meet other patients and their
parents, as well as other support material.	"Perhaps the most
important thing we received from the Society at that point was a
coloring book that we were encouraged to go through with Mike," Gengo
says, "because while all this was going on, we had to explain what was
happening to Mike. You never think about how you would tell a young
child he has cancer and what that will entail. You really find
yourself wishing you had a road map, something to guide you through
it. This coloring book was it."
	As they worked through the book with Mike, the book broached
information on the disease in a way that Mike could understand. 
	"The book wasn't just a toy, it was a genuinely
well-thought-out tool for explaining the disease," Gengo says.
	Soon after diagnosis, Mike was hospitalized for chemotherapy
treatments and once again, the Leukemia Society provided the family
with support. The Society provides families of leukemia patients with
up to $750 a year for expenses not covered by insurance or
prescription plans, or for incidentals that families cannot have
anticipated, such as hospital parking and special food for patients.
	One of the things that made an indelible impact on Mike was
the Leukemia Society's efforts in getting members of the Buffalo
Sabres to come and spend time with the children in the hospital. At
only three, Mike didn't know much about hockey, but according to
Gengo, being around the Sabres changed that very quickly.
	"Dave Andreychuk would sit in the hospital with Mike and watch
the games on TV, and while they were watching he'd be teaching Mike
all about the game," Gengo said. "Mike would turn to Dave and say,
'What's icing?' and Dave would tell him. At the time, Mike didn't
realize that this was a professional hockey player; he was just a
friend he was watching the game with."
	Friendships with Pat LaFontaine and Craig Simpson also
developed, and the more Mike learned about hockey from his new
friends, the more he wanted to play. But there were more obstacles.
	Chemotherapy continued after he left the hospital and because
the treatments made him more susceptible to infections, playing hockey
wasn't in the cards. Mike sat on the bench, watching the other kids
play, dreaming of a day when his chance would come.
 	Finally, he was through with his chemotherapy, and he
immediately joined a recreational league. "Once he started playing he
became quite an accomplished hockey player," said Gengo. "But it
wasn't enough for him."
	Mike decided he wanted to play in the competitive leagues. "I
told him it was a long shot, the kids in these competitive leagues had
been playing since they were four and Mike didn't start until he was
nearly eight," said Gengo. "But Mike wasn't dissuaded; he was focused
on making a travel team."
	Last spring, tryouts for the competitive league were held.
Mike Gengo is now a center on the Buffalo Saints' nine- and
10-year-old team. 
	At nine-and-a-half, Mike Gengo now has the same aspirations
that other nine-year-olds do, with the possible exception of his
friendships with a couple of Stanley Cup winners.	"Mike doesn't
see himself as a victim," said Gengo. "Here is a kid who came through
a perilous walk through hell, but not only did he come out of it
unscarred, he is, if anything, mentally stronger." 
	Gengo noted that it actually wasn't until the crisis with Mike
had abated that they realized how much the Leukemia Society had done
for them. Now, both Mike and his family help the Society raise funds. 
	Gengo is currently vice president of the WNY chapter of the
Leukemia Society. 
"Getting involved with the Society was a way to give something back to
an organization that we feel gave us so much," he said. 
According to Gengo, 25 years ago, leukemia would have been a death
sentence for his son. "Now, 75% of childhood patients of leukemia come
through unscarred because of the research this organization funds," he
said. 
"The results of that research are clear every time Mike puts on his
skates," he added.
	"This is the thing no one realizes when they see the list of
SEFA organizations," he said. "It's a fearful thing to think about
ever being vulnerable to any of these diseases. And the Leukemia
Society is no different from any of the other SEFA organizations that
support research on disease. You want to support these organizations,
you want them to make progress because there could come a day, and you
hope that day never comes, when one of these diseases may knock on
your door."