2006.04.09: April 9, 2006: Headlines: COS - Korea: Return to our Country of Service - Korea: Cancer: The Daily Tribune: Diagnosed with lung cancer, RPCV John Lesnak gets a chance to revisit South Korea
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2006.04.09: April 9, 2006: Headlines: COS - Korea: Return to our Country of Service - Korea: Cancer: The Daily Tribune: Diagnosed with lung cancer, RPCV John Lesnak gets a chance to revisit South Korea
Diagnosed with lung cancer, RPCV John Lesnak gets a chance to revisit South Korea
Diagnoses with lung cancer, Lesnak was able to make the trip to see just how much South Korea has changed in the 30 years he has been away. “I had a wonderful time,” Lesnak said. “I got to speak the language again. It came back after a few days, so I helped the parents with all the translations. Lesnak noticed a whole different South Korea this time around. “You could see how much they had developed over 30 years,” Lesnak said. “It was hard to believe. People think Korea is a poor country, but they make their own cars. How can they be poor? “The standard of living shot up 100 percent. It was like night and day.”
Diagnosed with lung cancer, RPCV John Lesnak gets a chance to revisit South Korea
A trip back in time
Lesnak gets a chance to revisit South Korea again
Gary Giombetti
The Daily Tribune
Sunday, April 09th, 2006 09:58:48 PM
HIBBING — When John Lesnak graduated from college he wasn’t ready for an ordinary, run-of-the-mill job.
He wanted some adventure.
So the Chisholm native decided to join the Peace Corps.
When he signed up, Lesnak wanted to be sent to some tropical island like Fiji or Tonga, but that’s not where he ended up. He was sent to South Korea, where he taught English in a boys middle school.
He spent two years there, then came back to the United States. Lesnak has been all around the world since then, but he wanted a chance to get back to South Korea.
He had that chance when he started coaching the Chris Plys Rink of Duluth. Plys made it through the Minnesota State Junior Championships, then won the National Junior title, which sent him to Jinjou, South Korea.
Only Lesnak didn’t think he was going to make the trip.
Back in January, Lesnak was diagnosed with lung cancer.
He had to stop coaching, which meant he might not be able to make the trip.
But some good fortune befell Lesnak as he was able to make the trip to see just how much South Korea has changed in the 30 years he has been away.
Why did Lesnak join the Peace Corps in the first place?
“I wanted to teach overseas, but I needed the experience in an interactive school before they would hire you,” Lesnak said. “Two years of experience gets the motor started, then you go out and that helps you get a job.
“You really need a master’s to go anywhere. The Peace Corps was a good substitute for that. There’s not a better teacher than experience.”
South Korea may not have been Lesnak’s first choice, but he fit in right away.
“You live like the locals do,” he said. “You do everything the locals do. I made $85 a month. That was a lot of money in Korea.
“I liked the liberty after school. You weren’t tied down, and you had a little bit of say within the school.”
Lesnak picked up the language right away, and he loved the food South Korea had to offer.
Seeing as he hadn’t been back in those 30 years, Lesnak was looking for an opportunity to go back and see just how much South Korea had changed over the years.
When he started coaching the Plys team, which includes Matt Mielke, Kevin Johnson, Tom Kent and Aaron Wald, that opportunity arose, but that’s when he found out about the cancer he had growing in his right lung.
He had to stop coaching the team right after they won the state title. When they won the National title, Lesnak had a dilemma on his hands.
“The doctor advised me that it would be too much of a grind on my health,” Lesnak said. “After they won the Nationals, I wanted to go. It was me vs. my doctor.”
It was a battle Lesnak was gong to win.
“It just so happened that my treatments worked out,” he said. “I had some radiation treatments, then two weeks off. I asked if I could go and he said, “No problem.’”
That he was actually two doctors, Jan Dawson and Charles Decker, who are both curlers. They were all for the trip to brighten up his spirits.
“I had a wonderful time,” Lesnak said. “I got to speak the language again. It came back after a few days, so I helped the parents with all the translations.
“The team was happy I went for the support. They had to haul my luggage through the airport because of the illness, but they were good about it. They were willing to help out.”
Lesnak noticed a whole different South Korea this time around.
“You could see how much they had developed over 30 years,” Lesnak said. “It was hard to believe. People think Korea is a poor country, but they make their own cars. How can they be poor?
“The standard of living shot up 100 percent. It was like night and day.”
Getting to go on that trip, and being around curling in general, was just what the doctors ordered. It gave Lesnak a chance to forget about his cancer for awhile.
“You’ve got to deal with it on a daily basis,” Lesnak said. “Instead of being tired at home, I’d rather be tired at the curling club. The people at the club, and in the curling world in general, are amazing.
“This keeps my mind off of it. I try to keep a positive attitude and go about my business even though my illness is quite serious.”
Lesnak has five more months of treatment, so he’ll take it one day at a time.
“This was the wrong thing at the wrong time, but is there ever a right time?” Lesnak said. “It’s good to be here (at the Last Chance). I just finished chemotherapy. If I’m going to be sore at home I might as well be sore at the club. People help me out if I get tired.
“Physically, I can’t participate, but I can still come and watch. You have a camaraderie with the people. It doesn’t matter where you’re from, they’re all very friendly. With or without the illness, it’s great to be a part of the curling world.”
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Story Source: The Daily Tribune
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Korea; Return to our Country of Service - Korea; Cancer
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