The Milwaukee Post

18 • Milwaukee County Post • June 6, 2014 Not down for the count By JOSH PERTTUNEN Conley News Service OCONOMOWOC – Inside the ring, former World Wrestling Entertainment wrestler Trevor Adonis of Oconomowoc has been pinned by opponents ranging from Hulk Hogan to Andre the Giant to Randy "The Macho Man" Savage. But he has always arisen from the mat afterwards. When cancer tried to grapple with him outside of the ring – on three separate occasions – the wrestler known as the Heartbreaker used the same phi- losophy, getting up from the mat with his love for wrestling and his love for life still intact. "I hate to hear people say that if they ever get cancer, they're not going to fight it," Adonis said. "Because you don't know that until it's right in your face." The early bouts Adonis was just 15 years old when he was first diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease, which mani- fest itself in the lymph nodes of his neck and chest. "After 10 months of intense radiation, it was in remission," he recalled. "I basically glowed in the dark. Chemotherapy was more brutal back then. They basically poisoned you to the point that you almost died." A year later, the cancer returned, manifesting in his hip and pelvis. That required another 9.5 months of radiation. His wrestling career would take off shortly afterward. The prospect of being a professional wrestler had been a gleam in his eye since he was 7 years old. "My dad took me to the Milwaukee Auditorium to see a wrestling match for my birthday," Adonis recalled. "We drove in a blizzard from Okauchee; it felt like it took five hours. Once the wrestling started, it captivated me. I had never seen it live." After paying his dues in other wrestling associations, Adonis was wrestling in the WWE, for- merly known as the World Wrestling Federation, by the age of 23 years old. Pains and gains For the next three decades, Adonis would be cancer-free, enduring the various hurts of his chosen profession instead. He spent nearly 10 years in the WWE and the last 20 years as a promot- er and performer with American Championship Wrestling. "I've fractured a neck verte- bra," he said. "I've detached both biceps 12 years apart and broken knees, ankles and hips. Every fin- ger has been broken more than once. The fingers usually break on kicks, when someone has their hand in the wrong place." The pain was worth what he gained in pursuit of his dream, Adonis said. He was able to wres- tle during the sports's golden age and to bond with his fellow wrestlers, despite dangerous cir- cumstances. "There's no way you can pound on each other for 20 minutes and not get injuries," he rationalized. "We are putting our lives in each other's hands. Nobody wants to hurt each other, but the show has to be the show." The show has changed a bit since he joined, he said, but remains the same at its core. "It's changed from 80 percent wrestling, and 20 percent produc- tion in the 1970s to 20 percent wrestling and 80 percent produc- tion today," he said. For example, Adonis said he is able to remain a wrestler at his age by focusing on technique instead of a catchy catch phrase. No rest for this wrestler The most recent bout of cancer came last year, when kidney can- cer required part of Adonis's kid- ney to be removed on Christmas Eve. Doctors advised him that he should reconsider his career in the ring, but Adonis won't let that stop him. "Throughout all of this, nobody was going to tell me no for an answer," he said. "There is some reason why I'm still here." He carries his message to chil- dren who are diagnosed with can- cer. "I tell them to always fight," he said. "Have faith and fight." Contact Josh Perttunen jperttunen@conleynet.com Professional wrestler Trevor Adonis thrice refused to be taken down by cancer Submitted photo Trevor Adonis is still wrestling, even after his most recent bout with cancer, which required removal of a kidney on Christmas Eve last year. By KRISTIN KLAHN Special to The Post MILWAUKEE – During the last 10 years, the average household income has increased 30 percent. During that same time span, health care costs have skyrocket- ed 76 percent. That discrepancy isn't lost on the Milwaukee-based Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin endowment, which is stewarded by the Medical College of Wisconsin. As the AHW celebrates its 10-year anniversary, it's focusing on ways it can continue improving the health of Wisconsin residents. Part of the AHW's strategy is a new five-year plan, titled "Moving from Grantmaker to Changemaker." That strategy will help the AHW to place a greater emphasis on measurable out- comes, capacity building and lead- ership in health care. "We've had a tremendous past 10 years working to improve the health of Wisconsin residents," said Paula Lucey, chair of the MCW Consortium on Public and Community Health. "We're trying to take what we've learned and go at it with a little more focus. We want to focus on how we can have that 'wow' moment, where you start to see some big changes." The new strategic plan will also look at different ways for the AHW to interact with the MCW, and will examine where and how it can become involved in more innovative work, Lucey said. The AHW will also become more of an advocate, introducing programs and initiatives to policymakers, she said. The plan's details are inten- tionally vague, Lucey said. Its broadness gives the AHW the flex- ibility to continue evolving, while addressing emerging needs and opportunities. Creating opportunities and change certainly isn't a new con- cept for AHW. In its first decade, the AHW endowment, which was created in 2004, has funded 150 health improvement projects, awarding $164.8 million to 311 initiatives dedicated to improving the health of Wisconsinites through commu- nity health partnerships, research and education. It has supported an equal num- ber of research and education projects, engaging nearly 200 investigators in scientific discov- ery and developing the skills of health and public health workers. That drive for change is what everyone should strive for, said Roberta B. Ness, dean and vice president for innovation at the University of Texas School of Public Health. "The notion of what you are trying to achieve here was so tan- talizing to me, I had to join you today," said Ness, who was the keynote speaker at a conference May 29 that highlighted the AHW's new plan. The world is facing several huge threats, such as obesity and Alzheimer's, Ness said. Meanwhile, the cost of health care continues to rise. That's a concern, and one that can't be left alone, Ness said. "In order to see change, you have to find that balance between practicality and creativity," Ness said. Group aims to improve health statewide

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