'I’ve got a lot to live for': Retired York officer Scott Cogger gets good news in cancer fight

YORK, Maine — Six weeks of radiation and chemotherapy has longtime D.A.R.E. officer Scott Cogger feeling optimistic, as doctors say the treatment appears to have killed his thymus cancer.

Cogger, a 35-year York police officer and D.A.R.E. officer for 23 years, still has one more round of chemotherapy to undergo this summer to ensure no trace of cancer remains in his body. However, the news from doctors that his spring treatment and June 13 surgery were effective has brought new optimism to the Cogger home.

“Our doctors told us that the cancer is dead and shows no signs of spreading,” said Cogger. “I’m starting to almost smile.”

Cogger, 61, was diagnosed with thymus cancer earlier this year, caught by chance when he went into the hospital for a checkup on some pain in his arm. Doctors said the cancer was rare but treatable, and he began a regimen of radiation and chemotherapy at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. They took daily trips Monday through Friday to Boston, which Cogger said resulted in fatigue more than pain or nausea.

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The real physical test for Cogger came after his surgery, which involved a sternotomy that left him with pain in his chest. He looks forward to regaining his strength and walking 18 holes of golf again, as well as getting to the weeds in his driveway and mowing the lawn at his Cape Neddick home.

“I really hope by September to get that step back, be back to a normal life,” Cogger said.

Cogger’s wife, Robin, and daughter Madigan said they know there is still a road to go before doctors can say the cancer is gone for good. They are grateful, though, for a bit of positive news after months of holding it together to support him.

“I think it was far more emotional getting the good news than getting the bad news,” said Robin Cogger.

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A new perspective on life

The Coggers said their experience with cancer has given them a new perspective on life. They built a home on a private road in Cape Neddick about six years ago, Scott Cogger saying everything they have today was self-made after a humble upbringing.

Cogger was first raised in Danvers, Massachusetts, before moving to York briefly, then Dunedin, Florida. He said his mother drove the kids back up to New England for a summer vacation in 1975 when his father called and said not to come back, that he had met someone else. His mother, who had no money, got a job and started working to raise the family.

“In 1975, we had nothing. I mean, nothing,” Cogger said.

Cogger got his first job as a kid making $1.48 an hour at the Sun and Surf in York and decided to pursue law enforcement after high school. His brother-in-law at the time worked for the York Police Department, and eventually Cogger became a summer officer there, then full-time.

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Cogger’s place in the community became cemented when he took over as the D.A.R.E. officer in the York school system, a job that terrified him at first but which he grew to love over the course of 22 years.

“You go from a cruiser where you control everything you do to going to a classroom setting,” Cogger said. “Then, towards the end, I cherished every moment I had in the classroom.”

Community was behind him

Cogger, who retired three years ago, has been hearing from community members including former students since his family announced his diagnosis earlier this year on Facebook. A GoFundMe page has raised $30,000 to help the family with their medical bills, of which Cogger expects to owe $10,000.

Emotional support has been as important as financial help, Cogger said. Many people have offered to lend their apartments and condos in the Boston area for them to stay while undergoing treatment, and families continue to send the Coggers meals. Some of the teachers Cogger knew as a D.A.R.E. officer came over for breakfast one morning and brought a game they made featuring trivia about Cogger from his school days.

“‘How Well Do You Know Officer Scott?’ When Officer Scott’s belly is rumbling, what does he always say? - ‘What’s for lunch today?” Madigan Cogger said. “Everybody just knows him so well.”

Paying it back

The Coggers did some fundraising of their own for cancer research this year. Madigan Cogger made her father a shirt that said “stronger than cancer” and shirts for herself, her brother Jackson and her mother that said “support squad.” People saw them in pictures on Facebook and asked if they could have some, too. Madigan sold $1,000 in T-shirts to go towards cancer research, and Dana-Farber agreed to match it.

Robin Cogger said their hope in the next year or so is to plan an event to raise money for research. They are considering a golf tournament, but one that incorporates other entertainment or activities so that those who don’t golf can participate as well.

Cogger said he will have a “cloud over his head” for some time as he wonders whether the cancer will return. However, he and his wife said they are grateful for the care they have received from Dana-Farber and hope they can be a support in the future to others with cancer.

“I just hope I’m a lucky man and it never comes back,” Cogger said. “I’ve got a lot to live for.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Retired York Maine officer Scott Cogger gets good news in cancer fight