Cancer Free, Tommy Johnson Excited To Race In 2017

Column By: RYAN HILL / RPW – NEW PALTZ, NY – Racing is an all consuming sport for everybody involved. The race teams endlessly prepare their cars, the fans travel, often great distances, to see their heroes, and the track personnel work diligently to make sure the show goes on.

In every bleacher and in every pit all the chatter revolves around who won last week, who is cheating, who has a new car and so and so forth. Racers and race fans rarely contemplate the real trials and tribulations of the drivers and their lives away from racing, perhaps that is part of the escape from our day to day lives racing affords us, but when real life breaks through the racing chatter the racing community is sure to rally around one of its own in need.

If you have driven around the Hudson Valley over the last year you have probably seen the racing community rallying around one of its own. I personally have seen countless “STAY STRONG TOMMY GUN” stickers on car windows, business doors, and race cars. These stickers were an outpouring of support for Modified driver Tommy Johnson.

Tommy is a 24 year old driver out of New Paltz, NY who races weekly at Accord Speedway in the Modified Division. On December 23, 2015 Tommy was diagnosed with testicular cancer, and the following day Tommy underwent emergency surgery to remove the testicle.

“It was a very scary time for me” Tommy said. “The cancer spread into my stomach, abdomen, and pelvis. I had to do 20 rounds of chemotherapy at The Dyson Cancer Center in Poughkeepsie, NY. “

The chemotherapy lasted about four months of Tommy undergoing his chemotherapy treatments Monday through Friday every two weeks. Upon completion of the chemotherapy treatments Tommy had a retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND). This is a surgery that removes the lymph nodes that are located behind the abdomen. RPLND surgery is highly complicated which only two doctors in the country perform. Tommy’s surgery was performed at Sloan-Kettering Memorial Hospital in New York City.

“The RPLND surgery made me very nervous, but it was very necessary.” Tommy said.

After the RPLND surgery Tommy was deemed to be cancer free.

“That was a weight off my shoulders” Tommy adds that “I have never been happier. Now I have to get blood work and chest x-rays every month.”

Now that Tommy is cancer free he is more than eager to strap back into his family owned #45 Modified. Tommy along with his brother Nick and their sister Livy Johnson all drive for the family’s racing team Johnson Racing.

Any driver will tell you the thing they least want to do is step away from driving their car, regardless of the reasons. Tommy had to sit out the 2016 season at Accord Speedway due to his battle with cancer. His only time in the car for 2016 was running his brother Nick’s Crate Sportsman for The Battle of The Bullring and The King of The Catskill events at Accord.

“While in treatment I really missed being able to race, and just being at the track.” but, while he was away from the racing action, Tommy was never far from the minds and hearts of the racing community.

“Many racers at Accord put STAY STRONG TOMMY GUN on their race cars, including my good friends Randy Green, Steve Williams, Richard Smith and Greg Mcloskey, and then many family members, friends and fans put the same sayings on their cars.”

With the 2017 rapidly approaching Tommy plans to be back in his Tom’s Repair Shop #45 Modified at Accord Speedway, and also hopes to race at Five Mile Point as often as he can.

Tommy added “I am looking forward to getting back out there on the track and seeing everyone I race with. I would like to thank all my friends and family, especially my parents. I could not have done it without everyone’s support.”