Caroline Kucko is a lot like her dad, John Kucko, who was a longtime, hard-charging Rochester sportscaster before devoting himself full time to his digital photography and video business, which has more than 750,000 social media followers.
“I am as Type A as they come,” said Caroline, 25, who grew up in Penfield. “I wonder who I get it from? I am a planner to the enth degree.”
A 2022 Duquesne University graduate, she completed her bachelor's degree in integrated marketing communication a semester early. She then landed a job as a music and entertainment publicist at SiriusXM on Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan, directly across from 30 Rockefeller Plaza, aka 30 Rock.
On May 30, she was set to marry her childhood sweetheart, Max Hoadley.
“I thought
I had it all figured out,” she said.
But on May 26, her father had a seizure while driving on I-390 North in Henrietta and crashed his car. Doctors at the University of Rochester Medical Center found a mass on his brain. On July 10, it was confirmed to be glioblastoma, an aggressive malignant primary brain tumor.
And just like that, Caroline was on a new path.
She did get married as planned (John Kucko insisted on it) but recently resigned from her corporate job to pursue a new full-time occupation: chronicling her father’s journey through cancer treatment by talking with him via Zoom on Sundays and sharing those conversations on a Substack called Sundays with Dad.
She said, “It’s an effort to tell his story, preserve his voice and create a time capsule of what this phase of life looks like for him and for those of us walking beside him,” also including his wife, Charla Kucko, and daughter Natalie Kucko, 30.
Every week since July 19, Caroline has asked her dad six questions: Tell me about your week. What brought you joy this week? What was the most difficult moment for you this week? What are you grateful for? Tell me a story. What do you want to leave us with this week?
The questions are always same. As time has gone on, the answers have changed, revealing more about her father's cancer treatment and the man himself, she said.
“One thing that took me by surprise was the magnitude of my dad's impact on others, especially as he fights this battle," she said. "I knew he meant a lot to many and added a lot of positivity to people’s lives, but when I started this project I was taken aback by the outpouring of support and messages of gratitude for the true difference he makes just by being himself and sharing his story and outlook on life.”
John Kucko has always been an optimist. On June 8, he cleared a major hurdle on the path to recovery when he underwent surgery to remove the tumor.
However, he understands what the statistics suggest about his disease — that “I have a year to two,” he wrote in a July 13 Facebook post. “To this unexpected illness I say: ‘you don’t know me, and you’re about to get a load of aggressiveness from me that I’m going to hammer you hard with.’ This may be unpleasant — but I will give it everything I have.”
Recently, he completed six weeks of chemotherapy and radiation and is about to enter the clinical trial phase of treatment.
Throughout all of it, with the help of Charla, he has kept up his routine of visiting favorite spots like Letchworth State Park, Watkins Glen and Keuka Lake and sharing photos, video and words of inspiration on Facebook.
“He is determined and convinced he will beat this,” Caroline said. “His latest scan was as good as it could be. So far, things are going are way.”
As the process moves forward, she will continue to be there — and not just on Zoom. Caroline and her husband are moving back to the area. “The main priority is to be present for what’s to come,” she said.
And that involves a lot of uncertainty. “Every morning I wake up and remember our reality,” she said. “I channel all of my energy and feelings into this.”
In addition to the six questions feature, she shares her own perspective in personal columns on the Substack. “I write whatever I’m feeling,” she said. “That’s been hugely helpful in processing all of this. But really, I’m doing it to preserve his story, his voice, his memories but also helping others who are navigating similar challenges.”
Also sharing their thoughts are special guests, including legendary CBS Sports play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz. He and John Kucko have known each other for years. Caroline reached out to tell him about her project and ask if he wanted to write a guest column. “He said, ‘How about we just get on a call and trade memories and have a conversation?’ It totally surprised my dad. It was a full-circle moment.” (You can watch the Zoom call on Caroline’s Instagram page.)
Likewise, the next guest is a “huge” name in western New York sports, she said. She didn’t reveal that person’s identity but said the segment will be available in mid-October.
A subscription to Sundays with Dad — emailed between 7:30 and 8 a.m. Sundays — is $50 a year or $5 a month. A portion of the proceeds benefit URMC’s Translational Brain Mapping program, which creates 3-D brain images to guide complex brain surgeries and protect vital cognitive functions. “It single-handedly preserved my dad’s speech,” Caroline said.
The first three entries of the Substack can be accessed for free.
“This endeavor has been a reminder that every conversation matters, every moment matters, even the smallest moments matter,” she said.
Her advice to others, regardless of a loved one’s health status: “Document your relatives. Ask the questions, listen for answers. We’re so blessed with ability to preserve all of these moments, and I urge people to do so while being present in the moment.”
Reporter Marcia Greenwood primarily covers the grocery business and consumer-focused grocery news, as well as retail development, openings and closings. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on X @MarciaGreenwood.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: New Substack chronicles John Kucko’s brain cancer battle
