Ex-Roanoke College lacrosse star John Pirro faces a different foe today, and he's ... Playing to win
The ex-Maroon is living with Huntington's Disease
Doug Doughty
The Roanoke Times
A lthough he last donned a coach's whistle almost 20 years ago, a lot of people still view John Pirro as a sports figure.
"I do, too," said Pirro, arguably the best lacrosse player ever to represent Roanoke College. "I still do extra-man plays in my head on Velveeta sales calls."
Pirro and friends hope the fiery competitiveness that marked his playing and coaching career will prove beneficial in his fight against Huntington's Disease, a neuro-muscular disorder for which there is not yet a cure.
"He was the athlete, the golden boy," Pirro's younger sister, Mary Jo, said. "He was the favorite son, the favorite nephew, the favorite brother. I was in such denial that this would ever happen to John."
It has been four years since Pirro was diagnosed with Huntington's, although his sister and others now realize they had seen the symptoms much earlier. These days, those symptoms are unmistakable.
Simply put, Pirro can't stand still.
"Fidgety," Pirro describes himself. "Uncontrollable. I've got equilibrium issues. They call them choreas. I'll be walking like I'm drunk when I'm not drunk."
Pirro, who turns 50 today, has been lucky to some degree. When he speaks, it's fairly easy to understand to him. He doesn't require care and his illness has not yet become a financial drain. In his 19th year as a salesman for Kraft foods, he continues to drive.
From Sunday's Roanoke Times:
http://www.roanoke.com/sports/college/wb/wb/xp-38484
