Athlete of the week: Colin Dowd

SUFFIELD, Conn. (WWLP) - Hatfield's Colin Dowd is a senior at Suffield Academy. Dowd is a champion skier. He won the New England Prep School giant slalom. This week, Dowd is playing for a Prep School baseball championship, a year after missing the entire season. Dowd is the 22News athlete of the week.

"I can't say how happy I am to be back on the field this year and back behind the plate", says Dowd.  He adds, "It's just what I love to do."

Last February, Suffield Academy's starting catcher Colin Dowd had problems breathing.  Originally he thought he had pneumonia, but after several trips to the hospital, doctors found a cancerous growth in his lung.

"When I was in Florida on the baseball trip, they told my parents", says Dowd.  He continues, "It was a maglinant tumor, as for right now there's no name for it, it's a very rare tumor they say and they know it's just in the family of tumors."

After surgery, ten chemotherapy sessions and a month straight of radiation, doctors gave Dowd a clean bill of health. He skied in the winter and is helping lead Suffield Academy's baseball team into the New England Championship game.

"A lot of emphasis is put on wins and losses, and even some times you hear people talk about in the world of sports how it's a battle out there and about going to war", says Suffield Academy's baseball coach Bryan Brissette.  He continues, "I think it really let them (Dowd's teammates) understand what it really is to battle and Colin battled cancer and right now he's on top."

Dowd is looking forward to enjoying this summer, and a post-graduate year at Suffield Academy. Now he just has to go back to the doctors for checkups every 3 months.

"I don't get too nervous when I go back down there anymore, I just see as something I have to do", says Dowd.

Dowd and Suffield Academy will play at the Salisbury school for a New England Prep school title on Wednesday.