Losing an arm to cancer is only a temporary setback to Dave Dravecky, who knows what it means to come back from adversity.
"There's adjustments that I have to make, but there's nothing out there that I don't want to do," the 35-year-old former San Francisco Giants pitcher said Monday during his first news conference since being released from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York on June 24.Cancer was diagnosed in September 1988 in Dravecky's pitching arm, and he underwent surgery to remove a tumor and nearly half of the deltoid muscle in his left arm.
He came back dramatically from that radical surgery, beating the Cincinnati Reds in his first game back at Candlestick Park in 1989.
Five days later, he broke his arm while pitching at Montreal.
He broke the arm again in October 1989, ironically as the Giants celebrated winning the National League pennant, and retired from baseball the following month.
After further surgery, and months of pain, doctors amputated his arm and shoulder last month.
Although his future won't include baseball, Dravecky said he will swim, play golf and tennis, and engage in other sports he was unable to enjoy in the past because of baseball. He also has a full schedule of speaking engagements.
Dravecky said his wife, Janice, and two children have been supportive throughout his ordeal.
After his young son looked him over following the amputation, he ran out and invited his friends to come and look.
"It became show-and-tell," Dravecky said. "My daughter was extremely thankful that she could hug her dad without worrying about his arm."
Dravecky said he experiences "phantom pain" in his missing left hand and fingers - not an unusual occurrence in amputees. "My fingers are on fire and it feels as if somebody is jabbing a knife in the middle of my palm."
As for baseball, "I've become a fan and now I second-guess," Dravecky said.
He will return to Candlestick Park for "Dave Dravecky Day" on Oct. 5. Former teammates "have been extremely responsive in this whole situation," he said, noting with laughter that Giants outfielder Kevin Mitchell had sent him a dictionary, a thesaurus and a book of famous quotations to help him in his speaking appearances.