A couple of Fridays ago, Kansas University linebacker Steven Johnson strolled out to spring practice a little more slowly than normal.
Johnson, who is competing to become a starter this fall, typically takes the field with fire and enough energy to power KU’s new state-of-the-art scoreboard. But on this day, he was a little sluggish.
Who knew that it would be a high school senior from nearby Tonganoxie — and not head coach Turner Gill or one of Johnson’s teammates — who would lift his spirits?
But it was. And, in a lot of ways, that was a surprise in itself to Connor Olson, the football fanatic from THS who had been invited to KU’s practice by Gill.
“That was an eye-opening experience,” Johnson said. “I might not ever forget that day because I was going out to practice and I wasn’t feeling it that day but he just came out and showed us to live life to the fullest.”
Unbeknownst to Olson, the way he would do that was by leading the Jayhawks through a breakdown and handing out high-fives. See, after losing his right leg below the knee and a large portion of his lung function after being diagnosed with bone cancer a little more than a year ago — something that started with Olson and his family believing he had a sprained ankle — the THS senior found himself unable to show people how to live it up and decided to start telling them.
He talked to anyone who would listen, anywhere he could grab an ear, even when that meant being thrust into the middle of more than 50 mammoth college football players without having time to prepare for it.
“He didn’t know he was going to be doing that with the football team,” THS athletic director Brandon Parker said. “But Coach Gill told him to go for it. So he kind of did an impromptu speech.”
That impromptu speech kind of made a big impact on the men who heard it.
“That’s unbelievable what he can do,” Johnson said. “To just come out here and pick us up was amazing. And we tried to pick him up right back. Just to see him walking on one leg and with one lung, it’s crazy. I don’t know how I would do in that situation, but to see the strength he has, I know he affected me.”
So much so that after practice Johnson told Olson that he’d be praying for him and then posted a similar message on his Facebook account. Safety Lubbock Smith went one step further and actually sent Olson and his family a letter.
“It was an incredible letter,” Parker said. “The family has it now and I know it meant a lot to them. KU football’s won a lot of supporters in Tonganoxie from this. It’s about people, not just about football.”
After the hugs and high-fives, Olson spent some one-on-one time with KU defensive end D.J. Marshall, who, last year, was diagnosed Hodgkin lymphoma and is still undergoing treatment to this day.
The two exchanged stories, traded cell phone numbers and, perhaps most importantly for both of them, laughed and smiled.
“The team was awesome with him,” Parker said. “I mean really awesome. He’s the key of this but I also thinks it says a lot about Turner Gill and what he’s all about. He’s first-class all the way.”
After a brief period of hope earlier this year, Olson and his family learned in March that the cancer had returned and had moved into his hip. From there, things deteriorated quickly. Last Sunday, he suffered a stroke. Shortly thereafter he became paralyzed on the left side of his body.
On April 15 the people at Tonganoxie High organized a graduation ceremony for Olson, who was able to attend and, according to Parker, was aware enough of what was going on to give the thumbs-up symbol throughout the ceremony.
In one simple gesture, Olson was able to spread the message he had hoped to share during the final days of his life.
“Stay positive, work to be better, do something for someone else,” Parker said. “That’s what Connor wanted to do and time was cut short for what he was planning.”
