Son's illness causes Frese to 'look more at the now'

CEDAR RAPIDS -- Brenda Frese has allowed her life to slow down a bit.

"As a coach, you're always trying to stay ahead," said Frese, a Cedar Rapids native and University of Maryland women's basketball coach. "You're always into that hectic pace.

"But now, from my end, I'm looking more at the now instead of the future."

When considering the alternative, a life-slowing event doesn't sound that bad.

One of Frese's twin sons, Tyler Thomas, was diganosed with leukemia on Sept. 28, 2010. Now a 3-year-old, Tyler is in remission now, and his strain -- acute lymphocyitc leukemia -- has an 85-percent survival rate with the chemotherapy treatments he is taking.

"He's doing really well right now," Frese said.

Frese was recruiting in Indiana when her husband, Mark Thomas, reached her on her cell phone with the news.

Mark had taken the other twin, Markus, to the pediatrician -- Markus was fighting a virus -- and made an appointment for Tyler, who was pale and feverish.

"When Mark called me, he asked if I was driving," Frese said. "I said yes, and he told me to pull over.

"The pediatrician saved his life. If we hadn't caught it, Tyler might have been dead within three weeks."

Frese caught a flight home the next day, then the family went to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore to begin Tyler's treatment.

While Tyler improved -- the first 6 months of chemo was intense, the next 2 1/2 years will be maintenance doses -- four of Frese's former players jumped into action.

They formed the Team Tyler Foundation.

It's mission: "To bring awareness to leukemia, especially to children, like Tyler, who are affected.  Together our goal is to raise money and provide people with knowledge to help fight this disease."

All proceeds go to Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Each of the four players were on Frese's team that captured the 2006 NCAA national championship.

"That was a special group of players," Frese said. "They were so impacted that they wanted to help."

The foundation is hosting a benefit event Saturday at Gatherings, 905 Third St. SE., from 6 p.m. to midnight. Admission is a $10 donation at the door, with proceeds split between Hopkins and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Iowa City.

Frese won't be there, "but all my siblings and my parents will," she said.

"We're expecting more than 200 people. It should be a special night."

Frese, 41, led Cedar Rapids Washington to a state championship as a player in 1988. She went to the University of Arizona, when made assistant-coaching stops at Kent State and Iowa State before taking head positions at Ball State and Minnesota.

She took the Maryland job in 2002, and has compiled a 221-81 mark in nine seasons at College Park.

The Terrapins were 24-8 last season, and have everybody back for 2011-12.

"We have some seniors who feel a sense of urgency. Our No. 2 recruiting class from last year will be sophomores, and we've got a scoring point guard coming in. We're extremely excited."

Her team looks talented. Tyler is alive and improving.

Today is good. Tomorrow? Well, tomorrow can wait.