Anthony Pecorella found himself and his purpose through Team IMPACT

When University of Maine punter Anthony Pecorella takes the football field, he has one shot to help his team. It's a heavy weight on his shoulders each time he drops the ball and swings his leg. 

That pressure, however, doesn't overwhelm him anymore.

"If it works out, great. If it doesn't, then you're the bad guy," Pecorella said. "But I've learned to have more of a short-term memory with stuff like that because in the grand scheme of things, does it really matter as much as what I went through for those four or five months?"

Those "four or five months" refer to the intense chemotherapy Pecorella endured to eradicate his Burkitt lymphoma, a rare form of cancer. Overcoming an obstacle of that magnitude created a deeper appreciation for life and inspired him to positively impact others.

When Pecorella received his cancer diagnosis in July 2023, several thoughts raced through his mind. How did this happen? Why did this happen? How was this going to impact his life and his family members' lives going forward? Would he ever be able to play football again?

What had begun a month earlier as an oversized tonsil that was "nothing to worry about" was now a life-threatening disease. At 22, fresh off graduating from Maryland and transferring to Stony Brook as a graduate student, this was the first time Pecorella had to worry about what the future held.

To keep a positive mindset, Pecorella adopted a motto: It's just a bump in the road. As he navigated this obstacle, he found support from someone unexpected: a 13-year-old he met through Team IMPACT.

Team IMPACT pairs college athletics programs with children who have life-threatening illnesses. The NCAA and Team IMPACT in August announced a strategic collaboration to foster long-term relationships between collegiate student-athletes and youths to inspire and promote belonging, empowerment and resilience.

For Pecorella and the Terrapin football team, their match was Cal, who has a rare autoimmune condition. Pecorella and Cal formed a close relationship through the partnership, bonding over their love of football.

When Pecorella told Cal and his family about his cancer diagnosis, he received a simple text from his young teammate: "You're going to beat this."

This sparked a newfound love and appreciation for Team IMPACT. 

"I've seen it from both sides now," Pecorella said. "I've been the student-athlete on top of his game, giving a kid the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Then, you flip the script and I'm that kid with the diagnosis, and I'm relying on … my matches like Cal that I had." 

As Pecorella battled through his chemotherapy sessions, another unexpected source of support entered his life. During his first session, he met Eli, a 3-year-old girl with leukemia. Pecorella was amazed by Eli's spirit and fortitude despite the rigorous medical treatment she endured, just as he had been impressed by Cal's attitude. 

Eli's resilience was channeled into a motto of her own: "Just keep swimming."

"Because no matter how much deep water you're in, you can always keep swimming," Pecorella said. "Eventually you'll get to shore, and you'll get back to your way."

Pecorella and Eli continued their friendship throughout his treatment, and he made it a priority to keep in contact after his sessions were completed.

When Eli died in April 2024, Pecorella was heartbroken but determined not to let her story leave with her.

"As the weeks went on and they had Eli's service, I got to see her parents, and I told them that as long as my story's alive, so is your daughter's," Pecorella said. 

His way of doing this was not only sharing the impact Eli had on him but continuing to be involved with Team IMPACT. When Pecorella returned to Stony Brook, he initiated a Team IMPACT chapter on campus. There, he and the Seawolves football team were matched with Milo, a 14-year-old with spina bifida. After graduating from Stony Brook with an MBA, Pecorella chose to use his last year of eligibility at UMaine and once again brought Team IMPACT with him.

"I didn't even wait until I was in the school," Pecorella said. "I was on my visit, and I sat down with the head coach and said, 'I'm bringing Team IMPACT here.'"

This season, Pecorella and the UMaine football team have embraced their match, Cooper, a 14-year-old who has a neurologic disorder. Just like at Maryland with Cal and at Stony Brook with Milo, Pecorella has seen what both sides can receive from these matches.

"As much as we're impacting them, we are so much more impacted by the matches," Pecorella said. "These kids are real-life superheroes. … I think we can learn a lot from them about just being resilient."

Pecorella's experience with his Team IMPACT matches also reignited his desire to share his mental health journey, something he had started before his diagnosis. Via his Instagram page, Healthy Minds, he has resumed empowering student-athletes and anyone going through a difficult time to ask for help.

Through Team IMPACT and the relationships he has made from the program, Pecorella's life and purpose have been forever changed, and he remains grateful for the experience.

"I don't know who I'd be without Team IMPACT," Pecorella said. "This isn't just some other foundation where we make kids smile. This is real-life development into better versions of yourself, both on an athlete level, student level and just an overall human being. And I truly don't know who I'd be and how I would have handled cancer or how I would have handled my mental health stuff if I had not joined."