A lifelong resident of Morris County, Brian Fleury excelled in baseball and played for Morristown High School. He was named All-State his junior and senior years, Gatorade All-American in 1986, and was recently inducted into Morristown's Athletic Hall of Fame in its inaugural year. Fleury was drafted by the Houston Astros following his senior year, but chose to pursue his education instead.

Fleury accepted a baseball scholarship to Georgia Tech and was named Freshman All-American in the spring of 1987. Later that year he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma and battled the disease ever since. Fleury returned to Georgia Tech after a year of treatment, played for a year and then decided to accept a scholarship to the University of Delaware, where he had two successful seasons and was named the East Coast Conference Most Valuable Player in 1990.  In 2000, Fleury was one of eighty players named by the Newark Star-Ledger to the New Jersey All 20^th-Century Baseball Team.

He was finishing his graduate assistant/coaching position at Delaware for his Masters Degree in 1992 when his cancer reappeared. He received his first bone marrow transplant in January 1994 and, that summer, married Jennifer Root and settled in Morris Plains, New Jersey where they lived with their five year old son, Timothy. Since then, Fleury underwent many protocols of chemotherapy and received a second bone marrow transplant in 2005 at the Dana Farber Cancer Center in Boston, Massachusetts.

Coach Fleury was Director of Athletics, Head Varsity Baseball coach and a teacher of English at Delbarton. In his ten years as Delbarton's Head Baseball coach, his teams compiled a record of 223-63, and won 9 Northern Hills Conference championships plus an NJSIAA State Championship in 2002.  He continued to inspire students, his fellow teachers and the entire Delbarton community with his relentless determination to succeed in his battle with cancer.

In his tribute to Fleury, as he presented him with the 2006 Delbarton Board of Trustees Award, Board Chairman Daniel T. Scott '62 remarked: "This year's honoree has taught us all a life lesson, indeed how to live life with meaning every day, and how to value life. Hemingway defined courage has "grace under pressure" and this man personifies grace."

Almost precisely one year ago Brian was inducted into the Delbarton hall of Honor. In accepting the award, Brian talked about his life at Delbarton in this way:

"It's hard to put into words exactly why that is, exactly what it is that makes Delbarton School such a special place.  Sure, we have great kids, a beautiful campus, the Abbey, the teachers and coaches, the alumni.  And when taken together, all those things have something to do with it.  But for me, really, it's simpler than that-it's more personal than that.  The reason, for me, is in the faces of the guys I coach with, in the faces of the people I work with, and especially in the faces of the boys I coach and teach.  Because it's in their faces where I see proof that God exists, and it's good for me to see that every day.  It's good for all of us to see that every day.  And that is why, for as long as I can, I will get up in the morning, and I'll find my way to Delbarton School."

Today we bid farewell to a man who represented the very best qualities that humanity has to offer: intelligence, ability, sensitivity and persistence. Let the life of Brian Fleury serve as inspiration to those he leaves behind. We extend our deepest sympathy to his wife, Jen, son Timmy, parents Shirley and Ed, his extended family and friends. 

Brian always appreciated the time he had. He shared his talents and gifts with every single person with whom he came into contact. And he never, ever gave up.  The students, faculty and alumni of Delbarton School will never forget him.

October 1, 2007
Brian left the ICU on Sept. 26th and is now in a private, anti-infection room. He is doing better everyday, and we are all so proud of him, plus we are grateful for your prayers, love and support. It seems he developed two serious conditions, one a reversible condition that has to do with medication levels and the other related to the GVHD in his liver.  The combination of the two is what caused him to suffer seizures on the 11th and put him in the ICU. He receives blood feresis treatments daily and is doing so well.  As he continues to improve, we hope to move him to RIM, where he can continue treatments and work hard to get back on his feet.  It's been a difficult time, obviously, but we believe his strength is great.  Please continue to pray for him

September 13, 2007
Tuesday, Sept 11 Brian was taken back to the hospital due to complications from his recovery from the graft vs host disease he experienced 3 weeks ago. He is in ICU and his condition is considered serious. I want you all to know I can see the fight in him each minute he is there and know he is trying his hardest to get better along with the help of his team of doctors and nurses. I tell him constantly about your messages and the kindness and support you have all shown us and our families. Once again, we are held to visitor restrictions of immediate family only.

September 6, 2007
I'm HOME!  I'd be dishonest if I didn't admit to intermittent doubts about that actually happening.  Plus, I did feel vulnerable returning home, going from around-the-clock-care to my recliner!  But with the love I feel from my family and all of you, things are already feeling more like normal.  Day-to-day, there will be rises and drops in my blood work, so I have stay even minded and patient as we move forward.  Was so glad to make it home the night before Timmy's first day of 1st Grade!!  What a big, handsome boy his mom sent off that day with a part in his hair that would have made Elio at the Lackwana Barbershop proud...  The key remains getting the GVHD under control so I stay out of serious danger, and the combination of immuno-suppressants, steroids, and especially the Photo Pharesis treatments seem to be doing the trick with the expertise of my doctors in Morristown and in Boston. I owe them so much.  I still need help to stand and can't really make it up steps without help, but I am walking around the house much more surely and confidently with everyday that goes by.  Jen has been carrying the load, managing all of my treatments, pills, injections on a daily basis, which is yeoman's work to say the least.  I'll be working from home now via phone and email with Heidi and the great gang of folks at school, which makes me feel like I'm getting back in the mix a little. Best of luck to all the fall teams who start their seasons, but especially to the seniors.  Have a wonderful year guys!  Also, best of luck to those Villa Walsh girls--make Mrs. Fleury proud like I know you will.   She misses you guys so much.  Thanks again for all of your continued prayers and support.  May God bless you all.

August 30, 2007
hello everyone.  thanks for your love, prayers, and support during a very trying time for us. that support astonishes us at times, and we feel so blessed for it.  over the past 10 days or so, I've gone from "fatal failure" to "critical" and now to "stable."  holy cow!!!  i'm continuing the blood photoferesis, which seems to be working, although it is a long process.  all of my docs agree that controlling the gvhd in my body is the key now and of highest priority.  the good news is that we are moving slowly but steadily towards that goal and things are significantly better and better.  I've been getting some good physical therapy work in and feel a little stronger everyday.  I'll continue to try my best and i hope to be back at delbarton soon. i miss you all very much.  finally, please include in your prayers my friend and fellow patient, erika, who passed from her battles with lymphoma and gvhd a few days ago.

August 27, 2007
Brian has had a week of many blood tests, consults with specialists and various procedures to stabilize his condition. As stated previously, the gvh in his liver remains the highest priority and most difficult obstacle to overcome. The team of doctors from NJ to Boston have been working together around the clock in order to give Brian the best care possible and they have been successful in stabilizing his condition at this time. Brian has developed a few additional problems during this time such as medication induced diabetes, and dangerous low sodium condition. Brian has begun a process called photoblood faresis which is a long term blood treatment to try to control the gvh in the t-cells and therefore in the liver. Brian is scheduled to have the procedure approximately 3 times a week and he is there for about 3-4 hours per treatment. The procedure may take weeks or months to show any improvement to in the gvh in his liver. During that time the doctors will continue to closely monitor his medications and make any changes as necessary. Today Brian was seen by the physical rehabilitation specialist and he was able to walk down the hall for the first time as long as he was wearing a mask and gloves for his protection. Thank you again for your prayers and messages for our family at this difficult time.

August 24, 2007
Statement from Brian and Jenn Fleury...
Firstly, we thank all of you for your prayers, love and support.  While most indicators point to Brian trying to turn the corner (and he is), his doctors continue to refer to him as still at this time their most critical patient.  Believe us, there is nothing he would want more than to see all of you, but at this point his doctors restrict that.  Brian looks forward again to your time together and will continue to fight to get back on his feet. God Bless.

August 21,2007
Brian was taken to the hospital on Sunday, August 19, 2007.  The GVH in his liver has escalated and they are trying to stabilize his condition.  His condition is considered serious,  however, he has shown some improvement in the last twenty-four hours.  Due to the severity of his condition he is unable to receive visitors.  Please keep him in your prayers and we will post an update over the next couple of days.  Thank you for all of your messages of love and concern.  We continue to feel your support.

July 25,2007
We're already half-way through the summer, and I'm in the office everyday working with the sports camp and preparing things in athletics for the upcoming school year.  The baseball team finished up with a 22-4 record and a conference championship, mostly due to a terrific group of seniors whom I'll miss dearly.  Jen, Timmy, and I have had a great time this summer playing catch, working around the house, swimming, etc.  We're planning some time away, just the three of us, to get some needed rest, as both Jen and I need to re-charge for the hectic schedule of a high school athletic director.  We recently celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary, a real feather in Jen's cap seeing all the trouble I've given her these 13 years!  My health has been a bit of a roller-coaster since late May.  First, I had a "hole" in the back of my eye from the prednisone I've been on, which inhibited my vision significantly.  It's been corrected now with laser surgery, but the fluid is not quite drained yet.  Then, the graft v. host disease in my mouth--which is still an issue--had creeped into my liver.  It subsided temporarily, but has been causing significant problems as of late, the most difficult of which have been fatigue and jaundice.  According to Dr. Papish, I don't have hepititis, but my liver function is very similar to a person who does.  We're trying to get it under control with medication, and Drs. Ho and Papish have been very conscientious to that end.  Finally, (this is getting boring!), I'm diabetic again, and am trying to manage my blood sugar.  Taken separately, all these are managable, but together they've been a drag.  I'm struggling to keep weight on, and I'm fighting fatigue, but I'm confident that I'll get "right" soon with the help of my doctors and the continued love and support from Jen, Timmy, my friends and family.  We knew two years ago that another transplant would be a struggle, but decided at that time to "go for the green, and not lay up."  So it's no time to look back now with regret--we just have to keep with it and keep believing that things are going to work out soon.  Just to brag for a minute about our little slugger, Tim was selected as the MVP of his team at Mott-Leeney Baseball Camp in July.  He is so proud of himself as are Jen and I.  Takes after his mom…!  Enjoy the rest of the summer and God bless.

June 8,2007
Sorry for being out of touch, but it's baseball season, and things have been crazy.  Our team had a great year, finishing 22-4 with another conference championship.  I had a terrific group of kids, but especially a terrific bunch of seniors whom I'll miss dearly.  Timmy's a little bummed we lost in the finals of the county tournament, but he's starting to get over it.  He got a taste of that himself as his team lost the final game of the Wiffle Ball League that Jen ran again this spring in the backyard.  Clay mound, clay plate area, painted baselines, and I even put up a mesh fence this year to top it off.  Jen runs the whole show for about 20 kids, and she's dynamite.  On the last day, I cooked 56 hot dogs for the gang--great day.  On the health front, I only had to miss one practice this spring because the vomiting got too crazy, but all in all, I'm having a decent stretch, and being on the field everyday is always a big plus for me.  Just as we were getting to the decision to have another infusion of marrow, the decision took care of itself as the Graft v Host disease has spread to my liver.  Not great news, and some side effects that are tough to deal with, but my docs believe I have plenty of GVHD with the mouth and now the liver.  So another infusion of marrow is out of the question.  Unfortunately, I had to begin another regimen of chemotherapy, a drug called Gemzar which I've had before.  I've asked to extend the time between treatments outside of the normal protocol to see if I can get myself into a holding pattern with as little chemotherapy as possible.  So far, so good on that idea.  Hope all of you are doing well and enjoying basebal season.  God bless.

March 20, 2007
I’ve been back and forth to Boston every 3 weeks since the MDX-010 drug trial began, mostly for PET / CT scans, blood work, and meetings with Dr. Ho and the trial folks.  They are watching me closely for any strange effects of the antibody itself, but also for any change in the nodes of disease I still have.  Except for a hiccup in January and February with my white blood count and a flare up of the graft v. host in my mouth, all has been well.  For some reason, maybe from the antibody itself or from a chest infection I had, my mouth went south again, and I spiked fevers of over 104.  My white count literally bottomed-out on me for reasons that can’t be explained, but after some rest, and an injection of Neulasta, I was as good as new soon, and ready to take the baseball team to Florida.   We had a great week down there, perfect weather, and a lot of baseball.  I couldn’t have asked for a better respite from the hospital / Boston schedule, although I did miss Jen, Tim, and the dogs.  Next year, I promised to take Timmy with me, as he reminds me regularly that he is a big part of the team as our batboy—and he’s right!  We didn’t get great news from the March 19^th scans, as the small nodes in my neck, abdomen, and under my right arm have progressed slightly, and there is a new, very small spot on my spleen.  No emergency by any stretch, but my doctors think it might be time to try a second donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI).  If you remember, I had my first one last spring.  The thinking is that, coupled with the antibody, it will boost my immune system and fight the lymphoma.  The only hitch is that I have to get off the prednisone I’m taking for the graft v. host in my mouth without it flaring up before they give me the second DLI.  If they administered a DLI during a flare-up, it could get difficult to deal with.  So Drs. Ho, Fisher, and Papish are talking about a few cycles of chemotherapy—probably Gemzar or Doxil—to keep the disease in check or even diminish it while I get off the prednisone and prepare for the DLI procedure.  It’s always good to remind myself that this is a long process, and that I’m willing and ready to do what I have to do to stay in the game.  Jen, Timmy, and I sincerely believe that we are on the right course, and that someday soon, the three of us will be celebrating the start of a long remission.  We just have to keep on rowing the boat.  Besides, is there a better time of year than baseball season or a better place to coach it than on the diamond at Delbarton, or better people to spend it with than Bruce Shatel and the kids on my team? I can’t imagine there is.  Hope to see you at the ballpark.

January 24, 2007
It’s been a crazy month. We returned from Boston after the MDX-010 antibody infusion once the doctors were sure I was safe from any sudden or allergic reaction. It was a few long days for me, but Jen and Tim kept me going as usual. We kicked a lot of field goals in the hotel room with one of his new toys from Santa, and ran more than our fair share of races in the hotel hallways. I lost every one! I developed a chest infection around the same time, which seems to have caused a flare up of the graft v. host in my mouth. My doctors are working with me to straighten it out, but for now I’m back on Ensure, soup, and prednisone. I make trips weekly to Boston for tests since they need to keep a close eye on me during the drug trial due to the possibility of difficult side effects. My latest trip included a PET scan, which showed that things are status quo. Dr. Ho explained that they weren’t looking for or expecting a miraculous change in a positive direction yet, since it’s much too early to say whether the MDX-010 is working. It was more that they were ruling out any progression of disease. So I’m holding my own, enjoying the winter sports at Delbarton. On a side note, Charlie Weis, an old coach and friend of mine, stopped in to Delbarton to catch up. It was great to see him, and I appreciate him taking the time out of an incredibly busy schedule. The Delbarton students had a blast during the visit—it was an exciting morning at school to say the least. (See the picture I posted.) Things at home are great, as Champ and Timmy are fast friends. And Jen continues to do a great job as the AD at Villa. Stay warm everyone.

December 20, 2006
Merry Christmas! My latest scans in November were much like those in September. Some of the disease was diminished by the cycles of Vinblastine I did in October and November, and some disease found its way to new parts of my body—the most significant spot being in a rib on my back, left side. The only reason that’s more significant than any other remaining disease is because it gives me some minor pain. The most recent “big news” is that I’ve been admitted to the UC Santa Barbara drug trial for MDX-010, a new anti-body for failed transplant patients like me. In my layman’s understanding, MDX-010 blocks a protein that our bodies make naturally, which restricts our fighting T-cells from fighting too aggressively within our own bodies. The thinking is that, with the T-cells unblocked, they will be free to battle aggressively against the cancer. Good thinking. But with unblocked T-cells the risks are obvious: graft v. host disease and auto-immune disease, both of which could be unpleasant for me. But the rewards outweigh the risks, and we’re ready to move forward, always hoping and praying that this will get me into remission. Jen, Timmy and I will be leaving for Boston again on Christmas night, and I’ll be admitted into the hospital on the morning of the 26th. Don’t worry—we’ll bring plenty of Tim’s gifts with us for him and Jen to play with in their hotel room that week! My best wishes to all of you for a healthy, Merry Christmas.
 

November 16, 2006
Things are moving along pretty well. I just received word from Boston that the antibody drug trial is now opened again. We will head back up there right after Thanksgiving for staging tests, which will determine if I’m eligible for the trial. I don’t know many of the details about the trial yet, except that I’ll have to do it in Boston, and I might have to follow it up with a second Donor Lymphocyte Infusion (DLI). The three cycles of chemo ended last week, and outside of some nausea and minor bone pain, I thought I tolerated the Vinblastine very well. I’m feeling good this week, and looking forward to a big Delbarton football win and some tasty snacks over the holiday. The big news around the Fleury house? We have a new puppy, a black Labrador that Timmy named, “Champ.” He’s the cutest thing. (Check out the new pictures of him.) Have a great Thanksgiving holiday. I know we will—the Fleurys have a lot to give thanks for. Be well.

October 20, 2006

Hey everyone. Sorry to have been out of touch, but I’ve been busy working, and I love being busy. Both good news and bad news from my latest trip to Boston.  It seems that the disease I had in various places that showed up on my July scans is about 80% diminished from the 2 months of Doxil.  Good news!  But I have developed some new, small, areas of disease under both arms and in my abdomen.  Not the stomach itself, just some lymph nodes in my abdomen.  Bad news.  So Dr. Ho, Jen, and I sat down together with Dr. Fisher, another oncologist at Dana Farber, and came up with the following plan.  Because I continue to have significant problems with my mouth and the skin on my right foot, they don’t want me to use Doxil for the time being since it can (and has) contributed to those two problems.  So I will do 3 cycles of a chemo drug called Vinblastine, which was a part of the very first chemo protocol I had in 1987.  By reintroducing it after 20 years, Dr. Fisher believes I’ll get the response we’re hoping for without the continued damage to my mouth and skin.  If that goes well, I’ll have some staging tests done (again!) and then be eligible for the new anti-body trial I mentioned in the last posting.  It’s my simple understanding that the anti-body “unblocks” the tolerance of my donor’s t-cells, which are key in the fight against disease.  Why they aren’t “unblocked” already?, I don’t’ know, but this is how the new drug was explained to me and Jen.  I would only get a single infusion of that anti-body and then possibly follow with another donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) like I had back in April.  The DLI may not be necessary, which would be great, since there is always that risk of the GVHD progressing from there.  So I feel like we left Boston with a plan, albeit a hard plan.  But as long as we have a plan, we have hope, so we’re going with it, hoping and praying for the best.  I’ll keep you posted.  My best to all of you and your families this fall.  Please keep my donor in your prayers—especially his t-cells!