BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Dec. 3, 2020– Following a phone call reminder from 1970s star striker Wayne “Hogman” Olivera, last night I was watching on TV the Scotiabank Concacaf League quarterfinals at the Estadio Tiburcio Carias Andino in Tegucigalpa between Olimpia and Motagua; and my mind was flashing back to 33 years ago in 1987, when our own Coke Milpros took an 8-1 drubbing from the said Olimpia at the same Tegucigalpa stadium, a thousand feet above sea level. Missing from the Coke Milpros lineup that night was our multi-talented midfield/striker, the general, Gilroy “Coro” Usher, who was out with an injury; but present, and very much in effect was another sterling, pure midfielder, the classical Frank Sharp, whose impeccable passing and ball control was a bright spot for the visitors, prompting the game commentator, as recalled to me by sponsor Nick Pollard, to request an ovation in his honor from the 13,000 fans in attendance; and they willingly complied. He was announcing in Spanish, and Nick informed me that he had remarked that Frank was “the only player with football skills” on our team. To be truthful, Frank was a stand-out, demonstrating the fundamental skills that our professionally exposed adversaries quickly recognized as coming from someone who had been trained at a high level. The majority of our team was raw talent and speed, which could not help us much in the thin air that drained our players’ energy. But, as Nick recalled it, “I was mad; but Magic paid them for that statement.” In an unforgettable performance for ninety minutes at altitude, our 21-year-old striker Maurice “Magic” Francis kept the Olimpia defense on their toes, until he shook the net to avoid the shutout. Magic struck again in the return match at Orange Walk’s People’s Stadium, where it ended in a 1-1 draw. But Frankie, despite not being blessed with natural speed, was the player that really impressed the Honduras fans and officials with his skillful play in midfield; a real general, he was.
A long retired veteran now, Frank has been undergoing treatment for cancer, and he is reportedly at the University of Miami Hospital for continued treatment; but his insurance has maxed out, and on December 1, his brother, Chris launched a Go Fund Me account to try and secure funds to continue Frankie’s treatment.
As Chris explains, “Frank was diagnosed with a low-grade Follicular Lymphoma 3A in October 2018.” After being away from home and work for several months receiving R-CHOP chemotherapy treatments, “his medical bills and related expenses have surpassed what insurance will cover and what his family can afford. Frank has fought very hard; unfortunately, the cancer has since progressed to a high-grade non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.”
“Frank will now need to undergo a more aggressive ICE chemotherapy treatment” and “will also need a stem cell bone marrow transplant.”
“He cannot begin the treatments without upfront payment. Once he starts these treatments, he will be away from home and unable to work, further adding to his mountain of debt.”
“Please consider donating. Thank you in advance for all your donations and prayers.”
Friends and kind donors need only go to www.gofundme.com and type in “Frank Sharp” and follow instructions for making a donation by credit card.
For those who prefer, donations can also be made at Heritage Bank with the following info: msharp6959 and the account #1381638.
Get well, Frankie! Your teammates will show you their support. Blessed.