Four months after welcoming their baby boy into the world, Astrid and Michael Ujeski found themselves facing every parent’s worst nightmare: a cancer diagnosis. At just four months old, Phillip Ujeski was diagnosed with retinoblastoma — a rare childhood eye cancer.
A diagnosis like this with such a young child is terrifying, but thanks to the expertise of Roswell Park’s doctors, Phillip received the treatment he needed and is now cancer free. He was given the chance to grow up, and as he got older, he quickly found a passion for wrestling.
Going From Survivor to Wrestler
Phillip loved the thrill of competitions, hearing the whistle blow and the feeling of adrenaline rushing as he stepped onto the mat. Wrestling had become something Phillip truly loved — and would soon turn into a way he could also give back to the place that helped save his life.
Wrestlers Unite to Support Cancer Care
That opportunity came through Pin Cancer, a tournament created to bring the wrestling community together in support of cancer research and families affected by cancer. Pin Cancer was founded in 2012 by Dan Tramontozzi after his mother’s cancer diagnosis and has since grown across the nation, inspiring change in the fight against cancer. Wrestlers from across the country compete while raising lifesaving funds for cancer research centers, hospitals and families battling cancer nationwide. This year, Roswell Park was honored to be one of those beneficiaries.
“Wrestlers came from everywhere — Illinois, Maryland, Jersey. We even had some Canadian wrestlers coming over and raising money,” Phillip’s mother, Astrid, mentioned.
A Day of Competition and Compassion
This year, the Pin Cancer Nationals were hosted at SUNY Niagara College in Sanborn, New York. Wrestlers, families and supporters of all ages gathered for a day of friendly competition, all united by one shared cause. Phillip and his family were among them.
“It was definitely a very emotional day. We had people on the mat who we’d known for 20 years or more. There were wrestlers in their fifties, children as young as five and people wrestling in honor of siblings, grandparents — you name it,” said Phillip’s mother, Astrid.
As participants battled it out on the mats, family and friends gathered together to cheer them on and donate, amounting to an incredible $25,000 for Roswell Park.
Turning Support into Hope
Those funds are critical in helping Roswell Park researchers investigate new treatment options, facilitate clinical trials for both common and rare types of cancers, support patients and their families, and shape the future of cancer care around the world.
“It makes me feel really proud to be helping out other children who have similar or different childhood cancers,” said Phillip.
For Phillip and his family, giving back through Pin Cancer brought his journey full circle. The care he received at just 4 months old at Roswell Park gave him the chance to grow up, find something he loved and step onto the mat. Now, alongside his family and the wrestling community, he is helping give other children and families that same chance.
