When Anthony Pecorella first began his journey with Team IMPACT, he had no idea the long-term influence the program would have on the trajectory of his life. At the 2024 Game Day Gala, Anthony’s words captured the essence of what it means to be part of a community driven by purpose, resilience, and the desire to make a difference—and how quickly those who once counted on you can become the ones you count on.
Anthony began by reflecting on his special bond with his Team IMPACT teammate, Cal. Anthony, who met Cal while playing football at the University of Maryland, uses his platform as a collegiate student-athlete to advocate for Team IMPACT, mental health awareness, community, and togetherness. Anthony knows from experience that when we align our actions with our values, we can achieve remarkable things. “When Cal was matched with the Maryland football team in 2021, simply put, he changed my life,” Anthony said. Cal lives with a chronic inflammatory disease that has required extended hospital stays and chemotherapy treatments since the age of five. “When I first met Cal, I just got involved with Team IMPACT, and I’ll admit I just joined as a resume builder,” Anthony recalled with a laugh. “Little did I know that my resume would be the last thing on my mind when I thought about Team IMPACT or Cal. I never would have thought someone 10 years younger than me would become one of the most important people in my life.”
Through Cal, Anthony learned resilience. He learned how to power through any roadblock with a smile on his face. He learned how to be a good teammate and how to be a good friend. “Our bond is unbreakable,” Anthony said. “This new friend, this new brother of mine was overcoming more every day than I did in my entire life.” Cal helped Anthony find his purpose, and the importance of Team IMPACT’s work really clicked for Anthony, who has been a member of the Team IMPACT Fellowship program since 2021. “No matter what each game held for me, different weather, different opponents, different fans, Cal is always the one consistency,” Anthony said. “In the blink of our handshake, hug, and lift ritual, I would see all the time we spend together right in front of me, reminding me of his resilience and of what I was capable of on the field.”
After graduating from the University of Maryland, Anthony decided to take his last year of eligibility at Stony Brook University closer to his family on Long Island. Regardless of the distance, Anthony’s friendship with Cal continued to grow, and Cal even planned a trip to see Anthony play. But that chance never came, because just months after moving back to New York, Anthony was taken out of the game of football when he received a diagnosis of his own. In July of 2023, Anthony was diagnoses with Burkitt lymphoma, unexpected news the outgoing Anthony had no trouble sharing with anyone—except for Cal. “Cal was the friend I was supposed to be supporting, helping him build resilience, being there for him, showing him empathy, and now I needed that from him,” Anthony recalled. “I couldn’t fathom letting him know I needed him more than he needed me.” When Anthony finally built up the courage to tell Cal’s mom the news, he received a text from Cal a few hours later. “It read, ‘I’m so sorry that you have cancer. You will beat it, and I have your back,’” Anthony recalled, “’And oh, chemo’s not that bad.”
After months of chemotherapy and other treatments and constant support from his buddy Cal, Anthony rang the bell to symbolize that he was officially cancer-free. “He was always teaching me to stay strong, stay steady, and I will be okay,” Anthony said, “I owe every bit of strength I used to beat cancer to that unbreakable bond with my friend, my teammate, my brother, Cal.” Anthony’s powerful, unbreakable friendship with Cal is a testament to the transformative power of purpose and community and stands as a reminder that with resilience, support, and a strong team behind us, we can overcome any challenge together.