Earl DiLulio and his battle against cancer

Earl DiLulio and his wife Lois

Cancer is a very devastating disease that totally changes someone's life if they are diagnosed. Earl DiLulio knows first hand just how devastating and hard the battle with cancer is.

Earl Dilulio in his golf club workshop in his garage

Earl DiLulio, 89, of McCandless is a retired driver and salesman for Hostess of 32 years. Nine years before he retired, Earl took up the game of golf at the age of 60. Earl loved the game of golf as much as anything in the world, he and three of his co-workers played five days a week for most of his life, and then moved down to three days a week Two years after Earl began playing the game of golf, he also started up a little business making his own golf clubs out of a little workshop in his garage. It started by him making clubs for himself, until his friends saw them and wanted clubs made by him of their own. Life was good for Earl. He was retired, playing golf five days a week, and had his own golf club making business. So in 1993 at the age of 69 when Earl learned that he had prostate cancer, it was completely devastating. "My wife and I went out to the car and just cried, we were in shock," Earl said when asked what his reaction was to the news that he had prostate cancer.

Earl decided to receive cryosurgery to treat his cancer, at them time cryosurgery was an experimental treatment, but he thought it was his best option. Because the cryosurgery was an experimental treatment it was not covered by insurance and he had to pay $3000 out of pocket. During the cancer treatment, Earl had very high spirits and  a fighting attitude and was ready to beat the disease.


 It didn't take long for Earl to get back out on the course and continue playing the game that he loved so dearly. "I was in the hospital for one day and was able to get back out on the course in seven days. I felt great and was able to do what I wanted for the next four years," Earl said.

Four years later in 1997 Earl got the worst news of all, the prostate cancer had come back. The cancer had come back to the surrounding areas of the prostate, which was not hit by the cryosurgery. Cryosurgery is only able to be done to a patient once, so this time Earl had to go through radiation. Radiation therapy was tough, it was five days a week and in all there were 37 radiation treatment sessions. Earl showed truly how emotionally and physically strong he was with this. Once radiation was finished, it took Earl a few weeks to get his strength back and get back to playing the game he loved. After that he began golfing everyday again up until 2008 when he faced another tough obstacle.

In 2008, Earl began to lose his eyesight. He was diagnosed with macular degeneration and glaucoma. It is very rare for somebody to have both. It ultimately ended his golfing and golf club making career.



Today, Earl's right eye is completely destroyed. The blood vessels in the back of his retina ruptured and there is no cure for it. When that happens you go blind. Even with dealing with cancer twice in his life, losing his eye sight is the most devastating obstacle Earl has faced in his life. "There are so many things I can no longer do," he said. 

Golf clubs made by Earl, still in his workshop today

Golf club parts still in Earl's workshop today ready to be used

To this day, Earl believes he is fortunate because he has never experienced feelings of depression with all of the obstacles he has had to face in his life. "I'm sort of a happy-go-lucky guy. I don't let anything get me down," he said. "My wife has been extremely supportive. I have an up-beat attitude. I had cancer, but I knew I was going to beat it," he said.