Faith and Football: Update - Nick Warehime is a Fighter

Del City coach Nick Warehime has been battling prostate cancer but received some positive news.

Thursday, July 28th 2011, 5:47 pm

By: News On 6

Faith and Football: Update - Nick Warehime is a Fighter

Originally Published: Sep 19, 2010 10:35 PM CDT

Grant Belcher
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

DEL CITY, Oklahoma – Football might seem a little different for Del City coach Nick Warehime these days.

After all, when practice planning and film sessions are on the forefront of his mind, it’s a good sign.

As the season approached several weeks ago, Warehime’s mind was on something significantly more serious – an aggressive battle with prostate cancer.

A prostate-specific antigen test measures the level of a certain protein produced by cells of the prostate gland. A level of 0-4 is considered normal, and Warehime’s previous score was 255.

After dozens of radiation treatments and plenty of support and prayer from friends and family, Warehime’s newest PSA test came back with a 0.01.

“It was emotional when we went to the doctor on Wednesday and then we got the information back,” Warehime said. “When Megan (from the doctor’s office) told me our score was a 0.01, that was about as good as it gets.”

His fighting spirit has not only gotten him back on the football field, but also inspired a number of initiatives within the school and community.

Warehime’s story has encouraged other coaches, referees and acquaintances to get tested.

A “Faith and Football” movement began at Del City High School within a day of Oklahoma Sports’s original story, with students making and selling t-shirts and bracelets and raising plenty of money in the process.

Warehime said the school-wide development took off on its own and grew exponentially.

“The great think about it is, in some ways it kind of united some of our kids in different groups and whatnot because they were all on the same page,” he said. “But we are able to take the money they raised which is over $3,000 and put it toward whichever cancer fund that Brenda and I want to do."