A few months after Kirk Olivadotti accepted the position as Georgia's linebackers coach, moving his family to Athens after 11 seasons with the NFL's Washington Redskins, his young daughter, Kasyn, was diagnosed with leukemia.
It was a diagnosis that required an ongoing set of treatments and problems, but Olivadotti and his family were told the news they've been waiting to hear for 29 months: Kasyn is now cancer-free.
"She had a surgery on Friday and that should hopefully be the last surgery that we've got. So far, we're declaring victory right now," Olivadotti told The Macon Telegraph on Tuesday. "So she's cancer-free, and we're very, very excited about it. She's on the mend right now from that last thing and hopefully everything will be all right."
Since Olivadotti arrived on campus the Bulldogs have gone 28-10, and Kasyn, who is now 6, has been with the team every step of the way. As a part of the "Kasyn Cares" project, which provided wristbands and T-shirts with proceeds going toward pediatric cancer research, Bulldogs players and coaches have rallied around the Olivadotti family over the past few years. Georgia head coach Mark Richt is often seen wearing his wristband in support of the family.
"It's almost one of those things where I don't remember life before it as much," Olivadotti said. "It's one of those kind of moments. There's been a lot of things that have happened, good and bad, in the whole thing. But at the end of the day it's happened to us, and it's our experience, and we still have her, and we're very happy about that."
The family was initially told Kasyn's cancer was in remission two years ago, but she's been undergoing a series of treatments ever since. Over the weekend, it was made official: all the treatment and dedication paid off. And based off Olivadotti's Twitter account, here was a scene that followed the good news:
