Finberg facing toughest foe

Meeting life-changing challenges on a basketball trip has not been unusual for Dillon’s Craig Finberg. In fact, it has been the norm.

From his days starring for the Columbia Falls Wildcats to a stellar career as an MSU Bobcat to his professional career with the Portland Trailblazers and then as a high school and now college coach, most major moments in Finberg’s life have involved a round ball, a net and hardwood floors.

Three weeks ago while on a basketball trip through Utah and Idaho, Finberg came face-to-face with the biggest challenge of his life, and cancer showed up as the vicious opponent.

Finberg, the assistant coach for the Montana Western men’s basketball team, awoke in a motel room during the Westminster College/Lewis-Clark State road trip in mid-January to a sharp pain in his stomach. The discomfort went into his chest, and he at first thought he was having heart trouble. After a few hours, the pain went away but he knew there was something wrong.

“I knew it wasn’t something that was normal so when I got back to Dillon, I told my wife I needed to get it checked out,” said Finberg. “You’re never ready for something like that. When they told us what it was, we were still hopeful it wasn’t that bad.”

After an initial visit to Dillon’s Barrett Memorial Hospital, Finberg and his wife Tammy traveled to Bozeman to meet with an oncologist and was told the devastating news that he had liver and pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer, also called the “Silent Killer,” is a malignant tumor of the pancreas. According to Wikipedia, each year in the United States about 37,680 individuals are diagnosed with the condition, and each year 34,290 die from the disease.

“Thursday (Jan. 22) was not a good day,” said Finberg. “It was probably the worst day of my life. They told me without treatment probably three months and with treatment two years, but that was with the worst possible cancer, and I’m hoping it’s not that.”

Finberg’s support team kicked into gear, and his sister called that night with a scouting report on Cancer Centers of America and a visit to the facility as likely the best game plan option. For Finberg’s ailment, the hospital at Zion, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, made the best sense.

“Here’s the conflicting opinion — Bozeman said they could not do radiation for my liver, and the people in Illinois say they have special machines that they can use,” explained Finberg. “I believe I’m going to the best possible place to go get the best possible care. We’re just waiting to get out there and when we get there, we’ll know more.”

Pancreatic cancer has one of the highest fatality rates of all cancers and is the fourth highest cancer killer among both men and women in the United States, according to Wikipedia. While it accounts for only 2.5 percent of new cancer cases, it is responsible for 6 percent of cancer deaths each year.

“I guess I’m in for a battle here,” said Finberg. “I’m heading out to a hospital in Illinois. They specialize in this area and there have been people that have been diagnosed with the same condition as I have and have been able to go there, and things have gone their way and they’ve been able to beat it. So I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.”

Finberg is not accepting the three months to two years to live theory. He is focused on winning the biggest battle of his life.

“Except for a little bit of stomach pain, I feel normal and sometimes these doctors have to make a prognosis and they’re not always right,” said the coach. “I’ve got a great attitude; I’ve got a great family; I’ve got great support in the community. I’m going to get after it, maintain a good attitude and do the best that I can.”

After a week of tough news, Finberg looked forward to rejoining UMW head coach Steve Keller on the bench for Jan. 31 rivalry game against Montana Tech. Ironically, the night was “Coaches Suits and Sneakers vs. Cancer Awareness Night,” a national event spotlighting cancer awareness. Finberg, like the other coaches, wore sneakers with their dress attire.

Prior to the opening tip-off, as Finberg and the team walked to the bench, the crowd erupted into a cheer. “Finny, Finny, Finny, Finny.”

“I was not expecting that reception,” recalled Finberg. “It was good for me to come back and be on the bench and get my mind off it for a couple of hours. I was hoping it would be a typical game, but it meant a lot.”

Finberg has been inundated with phone calls and text messages from friends and family and community members wishing him the best of luck in his battle.

“It’s just another challenge and hopefully with some help and the good Lord, we’ll have a good outcome,” concluded Finberg. “I just want to thank the community for the support they’ve shown me.”