NORTH MUSKEGON — Tate Pannucci recently celebrated his 16th birthday. He’s street legal now — look out, world.
That’s only part of the freedom he feels.
Last Monday, the North Muskegon sophomore reached a very important and inspiring milestone: Pannucci rang the bell at DeVos Children’s Hospital at Grand Rapids. After being diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) on Dec. 4, 2020, followed by about two years and four months of treatment and chemotherapy, he is now in remission.
Pannucci would not be medically declared cancer-free until he’s through another five years being in complete remission, but this was a major step for him and his family.
“Chemo won’t be out of my system until, like, they said, six to 12 months. I mean, I’m starting to feel better,” Pannucci said. “I think it’s mentally more free and I feel more free, especially without feeling, like, ‘Oh, I have to do a certain amount of chemos or I have to get home at a certain time and take all those chemos at certain times.’ It’s pretty nice.”
Photos by Scott DeCamp | CatchMark
Pannucci’s No. 1 passion is football. He’s been unable to play because of the effects of the medicine and treatment he’s been receiving, but a triumphant return to the field this fall is in the forefront of his mind.
Since his cancer diagnosis, Pannucci has grown to almost 6-foot-2 and 192 pounds. An offensive lineman as a youth football player, he’s looking more like a receiver or tight end these days, but he insists he wants to stay in the trenches.
In the meantime, Pannucci played tennis last fall and he’s currently competing for the Norsemen’s golf team. He shot 49 in the season-opening, nine-hole West Michigan Conference Rivers Division golf jamboree Thursday at Colonial Golf Course in Hart.
“He’s a strong young man,” North Muskegon golf coach Pat VanTol said at his team’s practice Friday at Bent Pine Golf Club. “He comes out here whether he feels good or bad. He just wants to keep playing, keep plugging away.
“He’s a great kid.”
At the top of this story, watch the video in which Pannucci rings the bell at DeVos, and he and his parents reflect on the journey.
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Read CatchMark SportsNet Profile of the Week on Tate Pannucci from Oct. 16, 2022
