There are plenty of family connections in the County when it comes to high school basketball. One of those links is in the southern Aroostook area.
Billy and Shannon (Craig) Mathers were two outstanding ballplayers in the Class D ranks during the late 1980s and early ‘90s.
Billy played for Southern Aroostook from 1988 to 1991. His teams were Eastern Maine runners-up in 1990 and then went on to capture the Class D gold ball in 1991. He also was a 1,000-point scorer.
Shannon played for Katahdin High School from 1989-92. During her first three years of high school ball, Katahdin was Class C and her junior year, the team lost in the semifinals. Then her senior year, the Lady Cougars again fell in the semifinals, but they were ranked in Class D. She was 40 points shy of scoring her 1,000 points.
Now, they are watching their children, Jackson and Kassidy, make their mark on the hardwood. Albeit, Shannon watches from the gymnasium with a video recorder taping the games for Billy.
“It is very hard to not be at the games,” said Billy. “I have seen them play since peewee.”
Billy is absent from the games not because he wants to be, obviously, but he is fighting chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and is recovering from a bone marrow transplant.
“Shannon videotapes all the games and we watch them together, but it is not the same as being there,” he said. “And, this is my nephew, Cameron Landry’s senior year and I won’t be there for any of the games.”
“I hate not having Bill at the games,” said Shannon. “We love basketball and have enjoyed watching our children play. Bill and I would look forward to going to the games.”
Jackson, 15, is a sophomore for his father’s alma mater and Kassidy, 13, is an eighth-grader on the junior high girls’ team.
“It is fun and exciting,” said Shannon, “But, I am sad Bill doesn’t get to experience it this year. It is such a short time in our children’s lives. You hate to miss anything they do.”
Billy had not been feeling well for about a year before his diagnosis. He was losing weight, fatigued and was showing bruises on his legs, which the couple thought was due to bumping the bucket, while fixing wires for Emera Maine.
“We made several appointments with the doctor, which were cancelled, and life got so busy we just didn’t notice how sick he was,” said Shannon. “He never complained.”
Once he was checked by Dr. Self at Houlton Regional Hospital, she immediately made him an appointment at Cancer Care in Brewer. He was diagnosed by Dr. Rueter on Dec. 13, 2013 with CML.
CML is typically treatable through medications and for two months, the family thought he was getting better. But, that was not the case.
“The medication did not work, causing Bill’s blood cells and platelets to plummet,” Shannon said.
Billy’s sister, Jill, who also was an exceptional ballplayer in the 1990s at SACS called Dana-Farber in Boston. The Mathers saw Dr. Wadleigh in March of last year.
Billy was taken off his medications for six months with the hope that his blood counts would recover.
“We had hoped to get on a clinical trial as the medications usually used to treat his cancer were toxic to him,” Shannon explained.
But, Billy could not become part of the trial study because his blood counts were so low. Billy suffered from a rare form of CML, which the doctors had only seen in a few cases.
“I cried and could not believe it,” said Kassi of her father’s illness. “I was shocked and scared for Dad,” Jackson added. “We didn’t know how bad it was and we didn’t know what was going to happen. You always hear about people dying from cancer and we were afraid he would, too.”
In August, a 100 percent donor match was found with a man in Wales. It was then Dr. Wadleigh decided a bone marrow transplant was necessary.
“The more time Bill waited, the more likely his CML would become acute,” Shannon said. “Once acute, CML is much harder to cure and the outlook for patients is not good.”
So, Nov. 12, Shannon’s sister, Terri, and her husband, Jason, drove the Mathers to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
“Bill had four days of intense, difficult chemo, a day of rest and then the transplant,” said Shannon.
Jill and her husband, Brandon McCarthy, another premier Class D basketball star who scored 1,000 points at Katahdin, joined the Mathers for the transplant surgery on Nov. 18.
“Dr. Ho, the transplant doctor, called this a new birthday for Bill,” Shannon said. “It was a two-hour process and we were able to stay with him for it.”
Billy remained in the hospital for three weeks to see if the bone marrow would regenerate normal blood cells. His numbers came up enough that he was able to go home on Dec. 6. The Mathers traveled to Boston weekly for 10 days of blood work and check ups.
“The first 100 days after transplant are critical as acute graph v. host disease usually occurs during that time,” explained Shannon. “He is not allowed to be out in public and the house has to be disinfected daily.”
Billy’s 100 days are up on Feb. 26. Maybe in time to watch his son and the Warriors chase a gold ball.
“Bill will have some food restrictions lifted and possibly get off some of the 10 different medications he has to take every day,” Shannon added. “He will continue going to Boston over the next 10 months every few weeks and hopefully be cleared to go back to work after a year is up.”
Since the transplant, Billy’s prognosis is good. Seventy to 80 percent of CML transplant patients recover and continue living a normal life.
“Chronic graft v. host disease will always be a possibility but does not threaten his life,” Shannon noted.
Kassidy’s season is now complete.
“I liked to do well for him so he could watch a good game when we went home and watched it together,” she said.
As far as Jackson, well there is the tournament still, as the Warriors are ranked No. 3 in Class D. They will play a playoff game with hopes of playing at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.
“When I go on the court, I am only thinking about the game,” Jackson said.
That is the way the Mathers want their son and daughter both to be. Focused and determined on the court.
“We always tell them to work their hardest and to not give up no matter how the game is going,” said Shannon. “You don’t want to look back at a game and regret how hard you played. Have fun, be intense and defense wins games.”
Every player, no matter the sport, wants to achieve a championship. And, let’s face it, Kassidy and Jackson are talented young ballplayers with their eyes set on the prize. Maybe, this summer, Dad will even be able to shoot around with them, again.
“We pray for continued health for Bill and to have many more years watching our children and grandchildren grow,” said Shannon. “The kids talk about college and what they would like to major in. They want to stay in Maine, which Bill and I are very happy about.”
On Saturday, Feb. 14, a benefit supper and dessert auction will be held for the Mathers at Southern Aroostook Community School, starting at 4:30 p.m.
“We want to thank our wonderful family, friends and community for their support and love,” said the Mathers. “We have been overwhelmed by their generosity and kindness. We are very thankful to live in our community and want everyone to know that we appreciate everything that has been done to help us.”
