Fmr. Gopher & His Brother Aim To Make Cancer Patients Comfortable
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It's been nearly five years since a cancer diagnosis ended a promising football career for Connor Cosgrove.
He was a wide receiver at the University of Minnesota when he was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010.
He had to stop playing football, and underwent years of chemotherapy treatments.
Just over a year ago, Connor went through his last treatment and is now cancer-free.
But that doesn't mean he's stopped fighting cancer.
"I identified myself as Connor Cosgrove, football player at Minnesota. And quickly I was Connor Cosgrove, cancer patient," Connor said.
And that was incredibly hard to hear. After being diagnosed, Connor was no longer playing for the Gophers; he was fighting for his life.
"It sank in and I just remember actually sitting there and just crying and just realizing what my life was and what it now was, and what it could have been and what it probably wouldn't ever be again," he said.
The news was devastating to Connor's brother, Clint.
"Yeah, I usually don't get choked up," Clint said. "That was probably the worst day of my life."
But with support from his big brother, his family and his teammates, Connor went from cancer patient to cancer survivor. And he's not about to take this new lease on life for granted.
"As much as we wanted to help people, we wanted to get it perfect before we really told anyone about it," Connor said.
When he was receiving chemotherapy, Connor noticed early on that he had to take his shirt off for port access. It was cold and uncomfortable.
"With so many things in my life seemingly falling apart, my ability to be comfortable and my ability to just dress like myself and be who I was, they were taken away from me as well," he said.
And that's when Connor got an idea: A t-shirt that offers port access, but doesn't look like a t-shirt for a cancer patient.
After researching, he couldn't find anything that matched his idea. Designing the shirts became both a project and a chance to bond with Clint.
"That was our time together over the years when I was coaching. That was basically therapy for both of us," Clint said.
Together, the brothers designed not just a port shirt, but also a "support" shirt -- one that someone supporting a person fighting cancer can buy.
The only difference is the shirt pocket doesn't open. There are crew necks, V-necks and long sleeve shirts.
Their company is called "ComfPort," and like any good wide receiver, there's a catch to this.
"For every one we sell we will give one away to a cancer patient," Connor said.
A Kickstarter campaign to raise money became an instant hit. While Connor will always wonder what cancer took from him, he's looking forward to giving back.
"With those patients and with that community, the response has been incredible," he said. "With my doctors and my nurses, everyone's so excited."
Since he's been cancer free, Connor is finishing up classes and will graduate from the University of Minnesota next month.
You can buy a shirt and support Connor's cause by going to the ComfPort Kickstarter page, their Facebook page or their Twitter account.