Hoopeston Police Chief Mark Drollinger says when he learned he had terminal cancer it reminded him ‘’how special this life is.’’ The Chief talked about his cancer and the tremendous community support he has received on WDAN Radio’s Newsmakers Program Thursday during an interview with host Linda Bolton.
Drollinger says it was a ‘’golden opportunity’’ when he was able to leave the Vermilion County Sheriff’s Department and become Hoopeston Police Chief. He says everything was going fine.
‘’And somewhere along the way we stumbled,’’ said Drollinger. ‘’I was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer in my neck. And it wasn’t so much rare, but just the fact that how it came to be. It’s the fact that I’d never smoked or chewed tobacco before.’’
Drollinger has since undergone numerous treatments, but then came word that his cancer was getting worse.
‘’At that point you realize, you know, you better make the most of every darn minute you’ve got. So at that point I became a realist and told myself there’s a lot of people that have it a lot worse off than I do. You better suck it up and play the big-boy game.’’
Drollinger has since married his girlfriend, Susie Ward. And they continue to live life one day at a time. But Drollinger knows those days are numbered.
‘’You know there’s an advantage to this. We all know we’re going to die at some point. Having somewhat of a time capsule of knowing when it’s going to end – it’s kind of an unfair advantage, really, I look at it as,’’ said Drollinger on the program. ‘’You know the Tim McGraw song that played years ago about Sky-diving and Rocky Mountain climbing – there’s a lot of truth to that. If you don’t, If you don’t live for the moment – at the moment – you’re not going to live it.’’
On the program Drollinger talked about the importance of seeing a physician regularly for check-ups.
Bolton said on the show that she has always admired Drollinger’s ‘’grit and determination and his passion for the law.’’ You can listen to the entire interview by visiting Vermilion County First On Demand on the homepage of VermilionCountyFirst.com.
