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March 13, 2006
Teen overcomes cancer to soar again
At 17, Brian Candlish has stared down a life-threatening illness. Now, he's getting back to what he hopes will be his career -- something that used to frighten his mother before he was diagnosed with cancer.
On a sunny Saturday earlier this month, Brian took the controls of a single-engine Cessna 172 for one of the first times since doctors diagnosed him last year with testicular germ cell cancer. The Hancock County teenager expects to have his private pilot's license by August. "(Flying) kind of makes you feel like you're on top of the world," he said. "You're up there and everything's below you. It's peaceful." Brian first enrolled in flight school at 15. His mother would sometimes drive him to Mount Comfort Airport, but she could never bear to stay and watch him take off. "This is my son, and flying's dangerous," she says. "That's how I was looking at it." Brian's dad, Kevin Candlish, encouraged his son. He even joined some of Brian's forays into the skies, sitting in the airplane's back seat behind Brian and a flight instructor. Brian's first lessons went well, and the Mount Vernon High School student began dreaming of becoming a commercial pilot. Then, in June, he was rushed to a local hospital after doubling over with lower abdominal pain. He was diagnosed with the same cancer that struck bicyclist Lance Armstrong. The Candlish family struggled to absorb the news. "I was so scared I wasn't going to have a son," Mary Candlish said. "You don't think of your children having cancer." Brian spent the last half of 2005 enduring the side effects of the fight against cancer: nausea and weakness from the chemotherapy; waiting and wondering about a prognosis; missing weeks of classes; showing up with a bald head on the days he was well enough to attend class. Dr. Lawrence Einhorn, who led the team that treated seven-time Tour de France winner Armstrong, was one of Brian's physicians. Brian had surgery Oct. 21 to remove his tumor. Through it all, the family leaned on God, one another and their friends for support, Mary said. And Brian's optimism and toughness inspired his parents. "He's been a tough dude through all this stuff," said his father, 44. "I'm real proud of him." Brian's mother agreed. "He's not a complainer," she said. "He complains about nothing." Doctors are optimistic about Brian's prospects. He has a checkup scheduled for today. After he graduates from Mount Vernon this spring, Brian plans to study aeronautical engineering at Indiana State University. He hopes eventually to fly for a company such as FedEx or United Parcel Service. His flight instructor, Ben Miller, said Brian demonstrates good instincts for a pilot. "He's doing really well in this training," Miller said. "He's ready to solo." Until March 4, Mary Candlish had never even watched her son taxi down a runway. It made her too nervous. Standing with daughter Chelsey, 15, she watched Brian guide the small aircraft into the air, carrying with him his instructor, his dad and a photographer. "I'm actually very excited for him," she said after the plane had disappeared from view. When Brian eventually returned and landed, she ran out to greet him. "This is so cool," she said. "Wow! My son -- the pilot."
Call Star reporter Bill McCleery at (317) 444-6083.
Copyright 2006 IndyStar.com. All rights reserved
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