He wasn’t supposed to survive, but he did. Professor and Strength and Conditioning Coach Jeffrey Godin was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer about a year ago and has been battling since the diagnosis was disclosed. Godin has been a tremendous asset to Fitchburg State University for twenty-three years. He has been one of the staples in the department and one of the reasons the department has grown as much as it has.
Over the course of his treatment, Godin had evidently struggled with being away from his family as well as his occupation, dealing with the stresses of returning to work and the most challenging, going through treatment. However, through all of the pain, all of the doubts, and days when he didn’t want to fight anymore, he chose to be resilient. His will to be strong outweighed everything that came in his direction.
Godin stated, “Disheartening is a way to describe it. And I felt like leading up to this I was really hitting my stride and finding my place within the university and beginning to really start to make a difference with the students and the student-athletes. And then, once I got the diagnosis, I felt that everything got ripped away from me.”
While suffering through chemo, one thing on Godin’s mind was getting back to teaching and coaching. Godin had created such a fantastic environment for his students and athletes. Balancing two different occupations was what brought him joy. He connected with students outside of class by guiding them through the process of becoming the best version of themselves. Godin raved about how his students here keep him young and are one of the many reasons he fought to get better.
Being absent for a while took a toll on Godin. He was forced to step away from the thing he was most passionate about. Godin, being an ultramarathon runner, was not able to pursue his everyday activities. From being happy with himself and the life he created, he was unwillingly bumped back to square one. When going through all of these hardships on top of the treatment itself, he stated that the person there every day for him was his wife.
Godin stated, “My wife has been my biggest supporter. I couldn’t do this without her. Being back just feels right again, and I appreciate her every day for that.”
He wasn’t supposed to survive, but he did. Jeffery Godin is so much more than a professor and coach. He is the motivation for the university. He is the reason his athletes train as hard as they do. He is the reason students believe they can do it when all odds are against them.
“Listen to your inner voice, then you know. Sometimes that voice can turn negative and starts to make excuses for yourself. But deep down you have to keep pushing forward, you have to get to the other side, find the silver lining in everything you do,” Godin explained.
Professor and Coach Jeffery Godin, an inspiration to all.
