Two years after his cancer diagnosis, coach Tom Noone has a unique perspective: “I’ve never felt better in my life.”
In July 2023, Noone, 70, was diagnosed with Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare and aggressive form of skin cancer. Around 3,000 people each year are diagnosed with Merkel cell carcinoma in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society.
“It was a shock,” Noone said. “I had no history (of cancer) — I was very surprised.”
Noone, Bishop Ireton High School’s boys’ and girls’ varsity tennis coach, quickly learned that the situation was more dire than he expected. “I went through six rounds of chemo, a round of immunotherapy. And they worked for a while, but eventually the cancer was too clever and moved around and built up a resistance to the treatment,” he said. “When a doctor starts asking if you have a will, then you know you need to address this in perhaps a different manner.”
Dr. Stephen Liu at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University gave Noone one final option as a last resort in the summer of 2024. According to Noone, Dr. Liu told him, “I have a new drug, it is barely tested, but we’ve had good results where it’s been tested. … I give you no guarantees, I can’t tell you what the side effects are going to be like, but I think it is worth a shot.”
But Noone had to make a sacrifice to pursue treatment: give up coaching.
“I know how hard it was for him,” said Anna Noone, an assistant coach at Ireton and Noone’s daughter. “In some ways, I think he felt like stepping away was admitting defeat — but it wasn’t.”
The clinical trial proved effective. Since Noone began treatment last fall, he said Dr. Liu, “has been able to reduce the cancer from about 8.6 cm to right around 2 cm.”
His cancer isn’t in remission yet and his treatments continue. “I go every week for a checkup on Tuesdays, and every three weeks, I have an infusion of the drug itself,” he said.
But Noone couldn’t keep away from the court for long. After a year’s hiatus, he returned this fall as a coach of the varsity teams. The students were thrilled, and Noone likewise. “They inspire me every day,” he said.
But it wasn’t enough for Noone to return to coaching. During the clinical trial, he felt a desire to “give back” to others facing similar diagnoses. That inspired Noone, Anna, and school staff and friends to create a fundraiser, Racquets for Research, to benefit the Lombardi Center. “Everybody is affected by cancer, whether you have it, you know someone who has it,” Noone said. “This is our way to fight.”
The fundraiser was held last month Oct. 9, during Ireton’s home tennis match against Elizabeth Seton High School in Bladensburg, Md. So far, it raised nearly $13,000, according to the fundraiser’s web page, which is open through December. To sweeten the success, the Cardinals beat Elizabeth Seton for the first time in a decade. “We did play well that day, and I was happy for them more than for me,” Noone said.
Noone attributed much of his healing to his wife, Francesca, and Anna, whom he described as the “heads of the operation” during treatment. “She is one of the best assistant coaches,” he said of his daughter. “She’s an excellent, excellent coach.”
Anna said that since her dad returned as coach, the students have brought a new level of confidence to the game. “If he’s going to fight, there’s no excuse for us not to — on every ball, every point, every game, every match — no matter what the odds. He brings and inspires grit and commitment that separates us from most teams,” she said.
Noone, a parishioner of Good Shepherd Church in Alexandria, said his cancer journey has reinforced the importance of faith in his life. He said that he includes a brief phrase in his email signature, “Faith, family, school, tennis,” in order of importance. “If you keep faith centered and foremost in your life, you’re going to be all right.”
Back on the court, Noone said that coaching the students is more than just a job: “They’ve given me another reason to live.”
Find out more
For Racquets for Research, go to hoyasgive.georgetown.edu/campaigns/racquets-for-research.
This article has been updated.
