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Florida water polo star defies odds despite cancer, stroke
FOX 35 anchor Amy Kaufeldt tells the story of Evan Staton, a stand-out water polo athlete at Dr. Phillips High School who went on to play at Pepperdine University. He was then diagnosed with cancer, lost his best friend to cancer, and suffered a stroke. Despite the challenges, he's now defying the odds and making great strides with the help of the Center of Recovery & Exercise (CORE) in Altamonte Springs, Florida, to redefine and reclaim his future. "This is hard," he said, but as you'll see, he's still full of smiles alongside his mom, trainers, and friends.
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - In the world of water polo, he’s one of the greats. At age 25, star athlete Evan Staton was ready to give back to the sport he loved. He was days from taking a teaching and coaching job at his alma mater, Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, when he was diagnosed with stage 3 testicular cancer.
He fought the cancer and beat it, but then the unthinkable happened – the chemo made Staton so sick, he went into respiratory failure and had a stroke.
It wasn’t long ago that Evan was breaking records in the pool. Now, he’s learning to walk and talk again.
Exercise therapy at Center of Recovery and Exercise in Altamonte Springs is Staton's happy place. This is where he can throw the water polo ball and get back in the water.
Despite his challenges, his smile lights up the room and he has a special bond with this trainer Mark Boutwell. Mark also played water polo and the two have fun and work hard during their sessions.
Staton started showing signs of water polo greatness at a young age. When he was 12, a former Olympian and coach from Pepperdine University in California told Staton's mom Athena he wanted Staton to come play for him. Fast-forward to his senior year at Dr. Phillips High School when Evan’s dream came true and he signed to play at Pepperdine.
Throughout high school, Evan and his teammates dominated.
"At one point, he held every single record that is in water polo and 50 free," said Athena Staton.
Staton said he wishes he’d gone to the doctor sooner. He was having swelling and back pain and knew something was wrong. Doctors treated him with an aggressive trio of chemo drugs.
One of the drugs had a known side effect of pulmonary toxicity, but doctors told the family it was rare, especially because Staton was young and healthy.
In December of last year, he got so sick from the chemo drugs, he went into respiratory failure and suffered a stroke. He spent months in the intensive care unit on life support. He was finally released and was able to go home eight months ago.
In the midst of all this, the Staton family was flashing back to the loss of one of Evan’s Dr. Phillips teammates and best friends, Ian Supra. Ian was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in high school. He died two years later in 2016. Years later, Staton went on to coach his to victory in the Ian Supra Memorial Water Polo Tournament.
Athena Staton hopes hearing about Evan and Ian encourages other young men to pay attention to their bodies and go to the doctor.
"I tell my friends, for your birthday, for Christmas have your children promise you, they'll go to the doctor," she said.
The ultimate goal is to get Staton back on his feet, back to independence and back to the pool deck where he belongs.
Athena Staton said the coach at Pepperdine would love to have him come back and give a motivational speech.
"Evan now exemplifies more than ever courage, determination, and he's gaining confidence," his mom said.
Click here if you’d like to learn more about CORE and the work they do to help patients with spinal cord injuries or neurological conditions.