Huddle up for the coach
Friends and family of Butler Area Midget Football League coach Dave Patton held a fundraiser Saturday evening at the Lyndora American Legion Post 778 to support Patton's cancer treatment.
Patton has been unable to work while undergoing chemotherapy treatments since November. Proceeds from tickets to the dinner and raffles at the event went to costs associated with his care.
Local restaurants and businesses donated more than 50 gift baskets and friends raffled off a 50/50 and sports memorabilia, including a Jerome Bettis signed football, a Penguins Jeff Carter autographed print, and a Cam Heyward Steelers print. Patton was presented with a Jerome Bettis signed Terrible Towel.
“Once he found out he was going to go through chemo, we knew we had to do something,” Patton's friend, Kristin Wilson, said. She and her husband, Jeremy, are close friends with Patton, and helped organize the dinner.
“Us and our families and our football family have all come together, and really, it's been awesome to see how much everybody wants to do for Dave,” she said. “He's so selfless, and has done so much for everybody.”
Patton, known to many as “Coach Dave,” has been a volunteer youth football coach for the past several years, and works with the Butler High School football team as a strength and conditioning trainer.Football has always been a big part of his family's life. He is a single dad, and his four children, Ethan, 18, Caden, 15, Isaac, 12 and Selah, 9, all attend Butler School District.Patton learned he had testicular cancer in March 2021 and underwent surgery to remove it. His cancer returned in his lungs and a lymph node later in the year, and his doctor recommended chemotherapy.“My doctor said we had to treat it aggressively,” he said. “Whereas chemo might be a last resort for a lot of people, it was the first treatment they did for me.”Patton started chemotherapy the week after Thanksgiving and had to stop his work as a bus driver with Valley Lines.“My immune system is really low, and because getting on a bus can sometimes be a petri dish of bad things, I can't even drive on the weeks that I feel better,” he said.Patton said it hasn't been possible for him to get vaccinated for COVID-19 due to his treatment.“It's mask-up everywhere I go,” he said. “Especially with COVID, I have to stay away from Walmart or anyplace really busy with people.”
His treatment and surgery earlier in the year also meant taking time away from working with the football team. His hope after recovery is to be able to work again, but also to be able to live a normal life with his children.“If I can coach again, that's phenomenal, but mainly it's being able to do stuff with my kids — shoot hoops and lift weights, and whatever normal life used to look like,” he said. “It's weird — you wouldn't think that everyday life is great, until you don't have it. But then it's like, aw man, I just wish I could get back to normal.”Patton said he has a phenomenal support system and was amazed at the work of his friends to hold the charity dinner.“For them to take so much time out of their own schedule to do something for me is very humbling — it's very cool,” he said.Patton's mother, Sandy Surrena, said Patton's friends have been a blessing.“He's got friends who drive two hours just to see him and see how he's doing,” she said.Wilson described Patton as a beloved member of the community.“He's done so much for all of the kids through football, from midgets up through high school,” she said. “All of those kids know him as well. Everyone calls him “Coach Dave.”“He's super busy,” added Patton's friend, Kris Kollinger, who met him through the youth football league. “He really doesn't sit at home much, apart from this unfortunate incident. He's always upbeat, happy and willing to help.”While Patton's friends have been concerned for what he's endured, they are glad to band together to help him and his family, Wilson said.“It's been a really hard time and it's scary, especially with him and his four kids, but it's just been really awesome to see the people that come together and give their time,” she said. “All these businesses that have given donations in one way or another, everyone's just kind of rallied together to help him.”
