As 16 1/2-point underdog, the University of Hawaii football team faces a daunting challenge in Saturday’s opener against 25th-ranked Washington.
Before the start of Wednesday’s practice, former UH safety Kent Kafentzis stood in the Rainbow Warriors’ huddle, a living and defiant testament to battling long odds.
Five years after undergoing a procedure to remove an 8-centimeter cancerous tumor in his left kidney, Kafentzis now has a malignant tumor in his right lung. He has been told he has stage 4 cancer — the most dangerous level — the same diagnosis as in 2009.
"This will be another victory for me,"Kafentzis said. "I’ll be 2-0."
Kafentzis is one of eight family members to play for the Warriors.
"The two most famous family names in UH history are the Nogas, obviously, and the Kafentzises in terms of quantity and quality," said Rich Miano, a former UH player and coach. "Not only were the Kafentzises great players, they were great people. They were tough."
When the tumor in the kidney was detected in 2009, Kent Kafentzis underwent radiation treatment and chemotherapy.
After that, Kafentzis said, it was "stagnant, where it wasn’t growing and it wasn’t declining. It was just there." Tests showed it started to spread this year.
"I may have to do it again," Kafentzis said of radiation and chemotherapy. "It’s up to me, though. I don’t know if I want to subject myself to that again. I didn’t have a quality of life (during treatment). Is it worth living if you’re not functioning to a certain degree? I have faith in the Lord and my family and friends. I have the support I need. I can beat it with mental toughness, as well."
Kafentzis said he has remained optimistic.
"I have to be," he said. "I just can’t be in a mind-set of downtrodden. I don’t want my kids to see me that way. I don’t want to look at anything as a defeat. It has to be a win, or just be a positive. What does negativity get you? It gives you stress. You don’t need that. I don’t need that."
Kafentzis said he was initially prepared to sign with Washington after visiting the Seattle campus three decades ago. His brother Mark Kafentzis already was playing for the ‘Bows.
"I told him, ‘I kind of like U-Dub,’" Kent Kafentzis said. "Then I got over here (on a recruiting visit), and it was a no-brainer after meeting the coaches and seeing what the islands had to offer."
After that, three more Kafentzis brothers played for UH. A generation later, three nephews were Warriors.
"People were so accepting over here," said Kafentzis, who lives in Washington. "We’ve always called Hawaii our second home, but it’s becoming our first home."
His daughter, a freshman, turned down opportunities on the mainland to attend UH.
"She loves the islands," Kafentzis said. "She loves the history of our family here. She wanted to be part of this culture."
Kafentzis said he is in town to be with his daughter, act in a supporting role for a "Hawaii Five-0" episode, and root for his alma mater. He was used as an inspirational example during Miano’s speech to the team on Wednesday.
"I’ll always follow this team forever," Kafentzis said. "It’s ohana. I want the best for my alma mater, especially when I’m driving around (the mainland) with my alumni plates on my car. I’m proud to be a Rainbow Warrior."
