Cancer fight, loss of arm, chemotherapy — nothing can keep down Fort Hamilton v’ball player

When the Fort Hamilton volleyball team's practice shirts arrived, some letters — two l's and an e — seemed to be missing.

"Changes are what make life interesting," the back of the shirts read. "Overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."

"Challenges. It's supposed to say 'challenges'," Eddie Nogay said.

Changes. Challenges. For the 17-year-old senior, they are one and the same. And he can handle either.

So much has changed for Eddie in the last year. The 5-foot-11 middle hitter was ranked third in the PSAL with 120 kills last season as the Tigers finished with a 5-7 record.

Anthony J Causi

STILl SPIKING: Despite a bout with cancer that cost him his arm, Fort Hamilton volleyball player Eddie Nogay (above, spiking) plays on.

This season, Fort Hamilton has won its first three matches with Eddie helping lead the way. And he is doing it without his right arm, amputated just below the shoulder last Halloween after cancer was discovered near his right elbow.

And with a lung that collapsed in January, a condition that took two surgeries to correct.

And while continuing to undergo regular treatments designed to stop the spread of the cancer — which robbed him of his dominant arm and is now spotting his lungs, but hasn't come close to dampening his indomitable spirit.

How's that for a change? How's that for a challenge?

"I don't want to say it has all just rolled off him, because he did understand it was serious," said Eddie's coach, Kim Tolve. "But he has been able to rebound. … Even the doctors and the nurses said they'd never seen a 17-year-old deal with this type of heartache and strife without flinching.

"It's a testament to the kind of kid he is. He's a fighter.''

Born in Uzbekistan, Eddie came to the United States with his mother, Natalya Kan, and older brother Victor, in 1999. Eddie and his mom always were aware of the lump near his right elbow, but an MRI exam taken eight years ago showed nothing to worry

about. But doctors said to keep an eye on it. Last season, that area of his arm began to hurt, but Eddie kept quiet and played on.

Once the season ended, he spoke up. Tests revealed a hemangioma and, after an initial misdiagnosis, it needed to be removed. Full recovery would take two weeks.

"But when they opened him up, they saw something abnormal," Natalya said.

A biopsy revealed a sarcoma and, when neither radiation nor chemotherapy had the desired result, the decision was made to amputate a large portion of Eddie's arm.

"But after that surgery, the scans came back and [the cancer] had spread into my main [arm] nerves," Eddie said. "Their first choice was to do a fourquarter amputation, which is basically taking the whole shoulder, including the collar bone."

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