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Photo by Jim Craven Dave Willard, superintendent of Phoenix-Talent schools, is clear of cancer for now, but when he considers his uncertain future, he finds himself making the most of each day. Lessons learned from cancer Willard finds strength in work with schools By VICKI GUARINO PHOENIX -- The notion of making each day count has come into sharp focus for the superintendent of local schools. Dave Willard, 49, knows better than many that time is a limited and precious commodity to be spent well and wisely. It's a lesson he's learned over the past nine months, battling a rare form of colon cancer. Clear of cancer since surgery on the day after Christmas, Willard remains under the shadow of the disease. He knows it could recur any time. So time has taken on a new significance. He says he constantly asks himself, "Are we doing the best we can each day?" Other than taking a couple of weeks off after surgery last winter, Willard has remained at work. Heading up the 2,800-student district is a tonic, he says. "I've always drawn strength from the work that I do. I think the work is important, and it's a big part of who I am." On bad days, Willard faces the fear and the uncertainty of his diagnosis. Although surgeons last year said they had removed all traces of the cancer, Willard went through six months of chemotherapy as a precaution. "I seemed to tolerate the chemotherapy pretty well," he says. "I even kept most of my hair." Every couple of months Willard is tested for cancer. All tests have been clear, he says, but it is still too early for doctors to declare the cancer in remission. On his bad days, Willard tries to think about recovery as being another job. "My job is to learn to cope with it. We all have obstacles we have to deal with." Much of Willard's coping is being done in public. He says he never considered keeping the illness secret, perhaps because he is accustomed to being in the public eye and is naturally outgoing. "People ask me how I am and I think they really want to know, so I tell them," he says lightheartedly. He even used his experience with cancer in his pleas to the Oregon Legislature for more education funding. From his own uncertainty -- "I do not know how much time I have," he told lawmakers -- he cautioned that the state has no more time to waste on insufficiently funding public education. His actions come as no surprise to Phoenix-Talent School Board chairwoman Laura Lotspeich. She has always known Willard to be a generous and sharing person. She says he is trying to use his fight against cancer to inspire and encourage others. "I think it's one way he thinks he can help people," Lotspeich says. "And he has certainly has inspired most of us." Back in his office this fall, Willard has launched the Phoenix-Talent district's long-term building needs study. A community group has just begun examining the demand for more classrooms in coming years. Several schools are full or nearly full, so construction seems likely. As for his own future, Willard says, "I'm just moving along day by day, trying to be optimistic." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA