LARNED – The black walking boot on Hunter Donecker's left foot is evidence of an imperfect senior year.
 
It's been part of the Larned High School student's wardrobe for most of the fall semester. Donecker, a candidate to play center and defensive tackle for the Indians' football team, tore ankle ligaments a week before the season opener during a jamboree scrimmage against Douglass.
 
"I was blocking a guy and when our guard got crashed down by their linebacker, both of them went straight down on my ankle," Donecker said. "It probably wouldn't have been as bad if I didn't get back up, finish the jamboree and do a week of practice before I was like, 'Yeah, I should get this looked at.'"
 
Donecker underwent surgery and was unable to play this season for Larned, which finished with a 4-5 record. He is scheduled to begin therapy this month and hopes to be fully recovered to throw the discus, javelin and shot put during track season.
 
The 17-year-old Donecker, the oldest of Jon and Misty Donecker's three children, was disappointed by the injury's toll, but not devastated. His perspective is shaped in large part by an early childhood battle with hepatoblastoma, a rare type of liver cancer.
 
"I always try to keep a happy attitude and stay positive," said Donecker, the Capitol Federal True Blue® Student of the Week. "That's just kind of how I am and what it's done for me."
 
Donecker has lived more than half of his life since Oct. 13, 2012, the day he was proclaimed cancer-free. The common thread in his pre- and post-cancer time has been staying active when he can. At LHS, Donecker plays the trombone in band and has competed in powerlifting in addition to his football and track participation.
 
"He's a well-liked kid," said Brooke Stahlecker, Donecker's personal finance teacher. "He's a quiet kid unless he's with his group. Just an all-around good kid. The way he presents himself is how he is as a student."
 
Of his cancer experience, Donecker mostly remembers the frequent round trips of over 200 miles he made with his parents to and from Wichita's Wesley Medical Center, first for surgery and three months of chemotherapy treatments, then for periodic follow-up visits that included blood work and CT scans. It started when Donecker was diagnosed at age 3, a common age for hepatoblastoma patients.
 
"It was devastating and scary," said Misty Donecker, who was pregnant with her daughter, Temprance, when Hunter began experiencing sharp pains that caused him to double over and scream. "There were so many unknowns. We didn't know what to expect."
 
Surgery eradicated much of Donecker's cancer, his mother said, but chemotherapy was also prescribed. The strong cocktail of medication caused Donecker some hearing loss and affected his vision to a point he wears reading glasses today.

 
"He never let anything get him down," Misty Donecker said. "Never. Even when he would be throwing up sick and just not feeling good, he would still be like, 'Let's go play, Gage (Hunter's younger brother).' It was always positive for him."
 
During that period, the Doneckers were contacted by Duane and Debbie Reif, Hoisington residents and former directors of Kans for Kids, a non-profit organization that provides funding and other assistance to families of children with cancer. Families in Barton, Pawnee, Rice and Russell counties have benefited from Kans for Kids since 1994, when the Reifs' children, Sarah and Shane, developed the concept to help with medical expenses of an infant cousin.
 
Donecker became a Kans for Kids beneficiary and, as an 8-year-old, its first ambassador. He participated in the organization's fundraisers, shared his story on an annual radiothon and visited area grade schools to talk with peers about his life as a cancer patient.
 
"For me, it helped with being around people because I went from really staying on my own to just tons of people all the time," Donecker said. "They had me give my story in speeches, so I got used to talking in front of groups of people. That really opened me up."
 
Donecker's siblings later joined him as Kans for Kids ambassadors, an extension of the family's frequent appearances at fundraising events. They are still active with Kans for Kids whenever possible amid active teen schedules.
 
Cancer had a limited effect on Donecker's young childhood. He played T-ball, enjoyed hunting and spending time with friends. His experiences have often put him in the company of other cancer patients, creating bonds he fully understands.
 
"I've visited with kids who were younger than me and also a couple who were older than me," Donecker said. "I know that in my case, I had it better than some will have, so I keep that in mind when I talk to them."
 
Donecker once believed he wanted to pursue a career as a pediatric oncologist, knowing his personal experience could be valuable. But his love for cooking and a culinary essentials class he took as a junior has changed his thinking.
 
"One, I hate paperwork. It would drive me nuts," Donecker said. He then turned more introspective. "Besides that, it's not so much seeing the sick kids and helping them, it's like what would happen if I don't get to see them? That would bother me horribly, so I've kind of shifted routes."
 
In the meantime, Donecker is eager to shed the boot. His philosophy on the ankle injury, much like the advice he shares with those with cancer, is to "try to look on the bright side, because if you dwell on the negative, it just makes it so much worse."
 
"I always just tell everybody that he's my hero," Misty Donecker said. "Most people don't get to meet their hero. I gave birth to mine."