Greg Losey, who was a recent subject of the Front of the Pack (November 2001), died February 25 from pancreatic cancer. Funeral arrangements are being made by his wife Becky, but it appears likely that he will be buried on Friday, March 1 at Fort Sam Houston.

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Following is the complete Front of the Pack article from the October 2001 issue of RTN honoring him.

by John Welch

Greg Losey of San Antonio has enjoyed a lion's share of time in the spotlight. The 51-year-old multi-sport athlete has competed in innumerable events since becoming a high school football, basketball and baseball player in his native Calistoga, Calif. Losey, who had a successful stint as an Army officer following his graduation from West Point in 1972, was also a member of the Cadets football team as a defensive back and kicker. But the pinnacle of his athletic career certainly came at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where Losey ascended the awards stand as a member of the American squad, which captured the silver medal in modern pentathlon, an event comprised of fencing, shooting, horseback riding, swimming and running.

But not even his athletic accolades, or the professional success that followed the Olympics could prepare him for the realization that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the Mayo Clinic at Rochester, Minn., in early April of this year. Doctors at the Mayo initially gave Losey only six months to live. Losey, who normally competed at a solid 200 pounds, soon dropped nearly 50 pounds in body weight as a result of the cancer. Only a year earlier, Losey had won a slot on Team USA in triathlon, and he was again planning to compete at the ITU World Triathlon Championships in 2001.

So Losey, the consummate competitor and fighter, looked beyond the Mayo's diagnosis with hope that something existed, which would prolong his life as long as he possibly could. And what he found came from friends that he had competed alongside of while a member of the U.S. Modern Pentathlon team. Former pentathletes Harvey Cain, Jr., and Dr. Keith McCormick quickly suggested an alternative treatment utilizing supplements containing enzymes and oriental herbs. Losey soon found himself under the watchful care of New York City physicians Dr. Nicholas Gonzales and Dr. Linda Isaacs. And though the treatment at Columbia was considered to be non-traditional, Losey felt that it at least gave him a fighting chance against the cancer.

"I believe, as Dr. Gonzales does, that sometimes you have to go outside of the box for something that is going to be successful," said Losey. "Dr. Gonzales was also given a grant from the National Cancer Institute to prove that alternative medicine would be successful against this kind of cancer."

And Losey was able to find out about this controversial cancer treatment regimen through his network of friends and former competitors, who all quickly came to his aid.

"When I was at the Mayo Clinic, all my doctors told me that I had less than six months to live," said Losey, who is a San Antonio real estate appraiser. "But then Keith (McCormick) and Harvey's dad (Dr. Harvey Cain, Sr.) said there's got to be something out there for you. So they both started looking, and within 24 hours they came up with this program in New York City that I'm using now. Dr. Gonzales is the only one who's been able to prove that you can go past the six months for any period of time for people who have this kind of cancer."

Losey had always considered himself to be a trendsetter, one who was not afraid to take a chance, whether in training methods or in a medical treatment regimen that would give him a chance to be able to buck the odds against the devastating effects of cancer. At age 34, Losey was the oldest American on the pentathlon team in 1984, and as it turned out, the oldest competitor in the entire competition. In a sport where youth often wins out over age and experience, Losey overcame tough odds by training for the sport far removed from the advice of a coach or from the assistance of supportive teammates.

"I've learned from athletics that if you do what everybody else does, you end up like everybody else," Losey said. "And if I did what everybody else does - chemotherapy treatments - I'd be dead now. When I first came down with cancer, everybody came to my aid, and I just want to thank them for their thoughts, their concerns and their prayers."

A number of athletes were among those who wanted to wish Losey and his family the best in their time of need. Larry Czelusta, a 55-year-old San Antonio podiatrist and friend of the Loseys, has made several trips to the family's house to offer comfort and prayer. Czelusta, a frequent training and racing partner of Losey has remained optimistic and upbeat about his friend's bout with the devastating disease.

"What impresses me most about Greg is his ability to remain optimistic in the face of his misfortune," said Czelusta, who was the 55-59 champion at the recent U.S. Duathlon Championships in Carlsbad, Calif. "Greg was very cheerful when I saw him at a party given in his honor by Chuck Frawley in June. I asked Greg how he was doing, and he said, 'I feel great, today.' Greg is definitely one of the most determined individuals that I personally know, and I know that he believes in the power of prayer."

Said Frawley, a San Antonio sales executive, who competed in track at the University of Texas and later in modern pentathlon: "Greg is putting on some of the weight that he initially lost, and he's remaining very upbeat through this whole ordeal. As far as I can tell, Greg is a fighter through and through. "Greg is just showing the true competitive spirit that made him an Olympic medal winner at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics."

Losey has recently returned to work on a full-time basis, and has even completed three sprint distance triathlons during the past summer at Fort Sam Houston. And on an even brighter note, Losey has now regained a total of 20 of the nearly 50 pounds he initially lost following the diagnosis of his cancer. Losey's current weight is 174 pounds, and he reports that he is walking short distances several times a week.

"I researched the internet, and I found out that one in 100,000 people who get pancreatic cancer survives significantly beyond the first six months," Losey said. "I think I've beaten the odds all the way along, and I think that I'm going to beat the odds in the end."

Click here for a continuation of the Front of the Pack article on Greg Losey