Feb. 21, 2017
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
On campus in Nashville – Osia Lewis just thought he had the flu.
It was mid-November 2016, the week of Vanderbilt football’s road matchup with Missouri. Lewis, the Commodores’ outside linebackers coach, came to work that Monday and could barely function through the nausea, dizziness and stomach aches. After a day or two, Lewis’ wife of almost 27 years, Darlene, convinced him to visit a doctor.
A dehydrated Osia Lewis underwent a round of blood tests, and his symptoms subsided after a few days. But when he returned to the doctor the following week for a round of follow-up tests, the numbers showed improvement in all areas but one: Lewis’ liver.
Doctors gave the Lewis family little reason to panic, but they ordered additional tests as a precaution. He continued to coach the 2016 Commodores through the season and into their berth in the Camping World Independence Bowl on Dec. 26. In mid-January, doctors finally phoned Lewis at his home with shocking news: a mass had been discovered on his liver. Lewis had cholangiocarcinoma, a form of liver cancer.
That reality hit the Lewis family like a ton of bricks.
“Emotionally, I was kind of numb for about two or three days,” Lewis said. “I just didn’t have anything to say. I didn’t cry, nothing – it was just nothing.”
As Lewis, 54, processed the news, he soon realized the gravity of the battle before him. Now, as the Commodores prepare to begin spring practice on Feb. 27, Lewis will move into a new role with Vanderbilt football. The staff change will allow Lewis to focus on treatment while remaining part of the program under head coach Derek Mason.
Mason, whose relationship with Lewis dates back to Mason’s teenage years in Arizona, never had a second thought about keeping his friend around the Vanderbilt program.
“Osia is family,” Mason said. “Some people run from these things, but we’ve chosen to run to it. I believe Osia and Darlene, with what they’ve poured into this program, their journey is a testament to what it means to be family. They’ve given everything they have to this program, moving from San Diego to Nashville because I asked them to. I truly believe it’s important for us to take the journey with them. That’s exactly what we’re going to do.”
Lewis will transition to chief consultant to the head coach and senior defensive assistant. The Commodores plan to tab Lewis’ full-time replacement at outside linebackers coach at a later date. The move will not include on-field duties but will allow Lewis to keep his office at the McGugin Center and meet with Vanderbilt’s staff, helping to maintain continuity for a program on the rise in the SEC.
In the meantime, Lewis said he is thankful Mason and the Vanderbilt staff decided to stick by him.
“I’ll just be a cheerleader for our guys, like a dad,” Lewis said. “But as soon as I’m ready to go, I’ll be back.”
That process won’t be easy, as Lewis has already begun chemotherapy treatment at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. For now, the tumor is inoperable due to its location, but doctors are hopeful treatment will make an impact for Lewis.
As news of Lewis’ diagnosis spread throughout the coaching community, “the outpouring of love and support has been overwhelming,” Darlene says. Osia Lewis, a coaching veteran of more than 25 years, has received calls and texts from countless coaches and players from his past. Lewis has been particularly impacted by wishes from former players, many of whom he hadn’t spoken to in years. “Those are the ones that humble me the most,” Lewis said.
But current Vanderbilt players are rooting for their coach, as well. Lewis singled out Oren Burks and Charles Wright as linebackers who keep tabs on their coach in the midst of adversity. That’s why Lewis has chosen to stick around the Vanderbilt football facility, even in the thick of chemotherapy.
“Players say, ‘Coach, you’ve got cancer and you’re out here working?’ They like seeing that,” Lewis said.
The Lewis family, which includes Osia and Darlene’s son, Marvin, and daughter, Kiana, counts themselves fortunate to be at Vanderbilt during Osia’s cancer battle.
“Since this has happened, we’ve had long talks about how thankful we are that we’re here,” Darlene said. “We are surrounded by world-class people, from Coach Mason to David Williams to the whole coaching staff and their wives, plus the world-class care you get at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.”
As Osia Lewis fights his fight, he plans to continue contributing to the Vanderbilt program. Sticking around football is important to Lewis’ life, and now it’s important to his process. That’s why he hopes to keep soaking it in.
“This has taught me to enjoy every day, and enjoy the ride,” Lewis said. “At the end of the day, I’ve got Darlene. I’ve got the kids. I’m just going to enjoy the ride.”