‘Honestly, I just thought about football’

Torryn Pinkard doesn’t want to be looked upon as someone with cancer who happens to play football. He’d rather be seen as a football player who happens to have cancer.

The 2023 BCHS grad was in the process of fulfilling his dream of playing college football (at San Bernardino Valley College) when last June he began having excruciating stomach pains, especially at night when trying to sleep.

“It started with feeling like I had the stomach flu but got worse and the pain was unbearable and I couldn’t even lay down or sleep,” he said. “We found out it was my kidney causing all the pain.”

Once in the emergency room with his mom, Shannon Pinkard, doctors quickly diagnosed him with having a tumor. It would soon be determined that Torryn was suffering from Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that affects mostly children and young adults.

“Honestly, I just thought about football,” the now 21-year-old said of the diagnosis. “I had just gotten back out there and just wanted to be able to keep playing.”

Shannon is fully aware of what a cancer diagnosis can mean to a person. She fought and beat it nearly two decades ago.

“I had cancer 19 years ago,” she said. “So, hearing Torryn’s diagnosis was the worst moment for me, knowing what he was about to tackle. Not being able to fix it was so tough for me. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare.

“He was in so much pain. He couldn’t do anything but sit. I brought him back here and the next morning he was admitted to St. Rose Siena Hospital. He was there for a week. They believe that one of the tumors shifted and compromised one of his kidneys. They knew he had cancer but they couldn’t pinpoint what it was. They then determined it was Ewing sarcoma. It’s in his abdomen area and had metastasized into his liver.”

According to the Mayo Clinic’s website, Ewing sarcoma most often begins in the leg bones and in the pelvis, but it can happen in any bone. Less often, it starts in the soft tissues of the chest, abdomen, arms or other locations.

“Major advances in the treatment of Ewing sarcoma have improved the outlook for this cancer. Young people diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma are living longer,” the website states. “They sometimes face late effects from the strong treatments. Healthcare professionals often suggest long-term monitoring for side effects after treatment.”

Surgery wasn’t an option at the time he was diagnosed, so doctors soon started Torryn on chemotherapy treatments, which are done in Las Vegas. In all, he’s scheduled to have a total of 17 sessions of chemotherapy and to date, has completed 10.

“I feel good, except when I have side effects from chemo,” Torryn said. “So once those kind of wear off I immediately go to the gym and get back to football.”

Torryn played both offense and defense during his days at Boulder City High School. It’s a time he looks back on with fond memories.

“What I remember most about playing football in high school for the Eagles is getting to play the game I love with my best friend (Matthew Richardson),” he said. “Being out on the field with him and my team made practices and games fun.”

Support from his college

Shannon expressed her gratitude and admiration for the support they have received from her family and friends. This also extends to both the San Bernardino Valley College coaching staff and its administrators for what they have done for Torryn.

That feeling is mutual.

“Torryn hit my heart from the moment I heard about his battle,” SBVC President Dr. Gil Contreras wrote in an email to the Review. “To see him continue to show up for his education and for his teammates, that is the definition of courage. He is an inspiration to every one of us at Valley College.”

Torryn has been medically cleared to practice with his team without full contact. They’re hoping by the fall, he’ll receive the medical release and be ready to play.

“It’s what he truly wants and he feels it may be the only time he can live his dream and we’re going to support that,” Shannon said. “He has a very special group of coaches and teammates, who are also supporting him to fulfill that dream.”

SBVC assistant coach Rick Pontious was Torryn’s position coach when he first joined the team, which is around when he received the diagnosis. Since then, he and his wife have become close to the Pinkard family over the past year.

“Torryn is the kind of young man and player that isn’t going to let a diagnosis get in his way or define who he is,” he said. “He came out to SBVC to pursue his college football career and that is exactly what he is continuing to do. He shows up despite everything else he is battling; no excuses - no pity - he shows up as a football player and that’s all you would ever know about him if you didn’t already know his story.

“This tells you everything about who he is as a person and as a player, through all his hard work, his determination, dedication, and commitment to keep fighting for it all, he has a story that could inspire anyone.”

But for Pontious, Torryn’s journey has meant a lot to him, not just on a professional level but a personal one as well.

“It hit home for me - losing my mom to cancer and not being able to show up for her the way I wanted to because we lived so far apart. It’s almost as if that chance was given back to me as a coach,” he said. “Being a coach is more than football; it’s getting to know your players personally, helping them through life and watching them become who they are long after they step off that field. Torryn’s story is exactly what gives us the opportunity to show up and be that coach.”

For those interested in donating to Torryn and his family, a GoFundMe account was established last year and can be found at https://gofund.me/ee19e4f0b.