McCafferys advocate for cancer screening awareness

IOWA CITY - As much as he admired his parents, University of Iowa men's head basketball coach Fran McCaffery has no plans to follow in their footsteps in one respect.

Both died of colon cancer, a disease with a high survival rate if detected early.

“They never went to the doctor,” McCaffery says of his father, Jack, who died 13 years ago at age 69, and mother, Shirley, who died three years ago at age 75.

“Once they discovered it, it was so advanced there was nothing that could be done for either of them,” McCaffery's wife, Margaret, adds.

Fran and Margaret McCaffery are honorary co-chairs for this year's Relay for Life of Johnson County, the American Cancer Society's signature fundraiser.

The event will be Friday, June 24, at the UI Cretzmeyer Track in Iowa City. Similar fundraisers will be held elsewhere across the state.

“Anytime you're able to have someone of Coach McCaffery's stature involved, it allows you to attract people, such as Iowa Hawkeye fans and others, who might not otherwise attend,” says Jackie Kleppe Williams, in her third year as event co-chair.

To the McCafferys, the title is more than name only.

Both have spoken at events to promote Relay for Life and plan to participate in the fundraiser, in which team representatives take turns overnight walking or running around the track.

Players and staff also will be involved, they said during an interview at Kinnick Stadium, which is serving as temporary headquarters for the basketball program while Carver-Hawkeye Arena is renovated.

“Our guys are in a position to make a difference,” Fran McCaffery says, citing visits to the Ronald McDonald House and other community service efforts.

Money raised at the Relay and at events leading up to that day goes toward cancer research.

Johnson County's goal this year is $100,000. Last year, the event raised more than $85,000.

The McCafferys became involved in cancer awareness efforts about nine years ago with Coaches vs. Cancer, a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Margaret McCaffery's grandmother survived stomach cancer but succumbed to breast cancer after a five-year battle. Her aunt is a breast cancer survivor.

Because both have a family history of cancer, they are especially attuned to having regular screening tests.

At age 40, Margaret McCaffery has already had a few mammograms. The breast cancer screening is generally recommended to begin at age 40.

Fran McCaffery, 51, has already had two colonoscopies and soon will have his third. Experts recommend the colon cancer screening at age 50, but earlier for those at high risk.

“Everyone thinks it's so painful,” he says. “It's not painful at all. ”

While the coaching job is time-consuming, they also have four children who keep them busy. Margaret McCaffery, a standout basketball player and past assistant coach at Notre Dame, says her current job is as a professional chauffeur to Connor, 12; Patrick, 11; Marit, 8, and Jack, 4.

Still, they take time to stay fit. They log a lot of miles on their home treadmill, among other activities.

Fran McCaffery said his children were able to spend time with his mother, a high school secretary, before she died. He wishes they would have gotten to know his father, a Philadelphia police officer.

“He didn't miss a day of work,” he says. “His entire life, he was never sick. He took care of himself, got cancer and died.”

McCaffery hopes that through his volunteer position, more people will understand the importance of cancer screenings.

“I talk very openly about it,” he says. “There are two parts to this: to raise money and to create awareness, so hopefully we can affect the people in the short run who might not be the beneficiaries if we find a cure.”