MELLETTE – Dallas Stoltenberg might be defined by a multitude of things, but make no mistake, cancer is not one of them.

To be fair, cancer will always be part of his story. The “chronic” in chronic myeloid luekemia will make sure of that. But the Northwestern senior – the tall, lanky, 6-foot-6, out-for-every-sport kid – would prefer his life be defined by life, and he’s working to make sure that happens.

First, however, was the sorting through of emotions after the initial shock of learning of his diagnosis. As he prepared for his senior year at Northwestern, Stoltenberg noticed an increasing propensity to bruise easily, even from small, seemingly inconsequential bumps.

“I could take a small hit in football or something, and my whole leg would be bruised up and be black and knotted,” he said.

At first, he thought it might be an iron deficiency, something both he and his two sisters have battled. Not thinking much of it, he went to get a quick blood test.

As it turned out, that test both changed and saved his life.

“I was getting ready for football practice later that day and I got the call that I needed to go down to Sioux Falls,” he said. “That’s when I found out that I had chronic myeloid leukemia.”

Naturally, those words don’t top the list of words anyone cares to hear.

“I was really scared,” Stoltenberg said. “Because when you hear ‘leukemia,’ you think this is going to be the worst of the worst, and I thought life as I knew it was pretty much over. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to finish high school that year, depending on what I had to do.”

However, doctors came up with a treatment plan that let Stoltenberg not only return to school, but to the playing field. The senior quarterback missed most of his final season on the gridiron, but returned to play a final series in the Wildcats’ final game, was able to take the court for the basketball season, and finished out the year a few feet shy of qualifying for the state track meet in the discus.

In other words, Stoltenberg was able to close the chapter on his terms, thank you very much.

“It was really important to me because I always loved playing high school sports,” he said. “Football has always held a special place in my heart just because of the determination and hard work that goes into it. So getting that last drive was really fun. It meant a lot. It let me walk away from the game with nothing left.”

Along the way, Stoltenberg found support pouring in, not just from his own community, but from surrounding ones.

“I was never really aware of the impact and outreach that a small community like ours and neighboring communities could have on one person,” Stoltenberg. “I mean, you hear these stories and you think, ‘well, this could never happen to me,’ so you really don’t think too much about it. But once it’s you, you really see how loving and accepting the community is for its members.”

Donations started arriving and fundraisers popped up, all in the name of support. And Stoltenberg paid every single one of them forward, not because he wasn’t grateful. But precisely because he was.

“I’ve come to realize how fortunate I am that I have two parents and a great family around me that was right there with me in the hospital, visiting and spending the days with me,” he said. “I was really fortunate. Some people don’t have that support system around them. And then I realized when I was (in the hospital), that I’m luckier than a lot of kids down there. I know that a lot of my problems are so small compared to some other kids.”

Stoltenberg’s leukemia will be managed via medication for the remainder of his life – that’s the chronic portion of the diagnosis – but even that, he said, is minor in comparison.

“My treatment is pretty manageable,” he said. “It’s not as terrible on the body as chemo or radiation.”

Plus, by simply continuing on with treatments, Stoltenberg hopes he’s contributing to its eventual demise. Chronic myeloid leukemia typically avoids teenagers and instead targets people over the age of 65.

“My charts and information are being collected for research for more kids who have to deal with chronic myeloid leukemia,” Stoltenberg said. “Just for more research and data on it, because it’s still pretty small in the United States.”

In the meantime, Stoltenberg is taking life as it comes, not with fear and trepidation, but with the knowledge that, cliche or not, he is blessed.

“I’m trying to live my life the exact same way that I did before,” he said. “I’m still in all my high school sports and my activities, and I’m able to graduate with no issues. I take pride in the day-to-day stuff that I can still do without any issues.”

Stoltenberg plans to attend SDSU in the fall for ag business with the goal of staying in South Dakota and helping local farmers.

“My diagnosis definitely put perspective in my life,” he said. “Life is precious and any unexpected event can happen at any moment. And it’s important to use your gifts for good or use what you can do for good. Just stay hopeful and something better is always coming.”