Pickleball boosts cancer patient to take his best shots

SHEBOYGAN COUNTY, Wis. - One minute you are leisurely traveling the northeast and the next, you are facing your mortality.

A local man is taking on that challenge, with the help of his favorite people and his favorite sport.

What we know:

Matt Kampmeier has made it to retirement after more than three decades as an IT manager and developer.

"I've lived such a good life and have so many great things to be thankful for," he said.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

One of the things that brings out Kampmeier's gratitude is pickleball. He loves to still be playing, even though he had a softball-sized brain tumor removed last November and has had to deal with radiation, chemotherapy and peripheral vision issues due to his optic nerves being impacted.

"It's a great sport to keep active with and keep in shape and meeting new people," Kampmeier said. "Everybody has been so accommodating to me and trying to help me overcome that."

Kampmeier positions himself differently on a court now, stacking with his partner so he can see the ball and they can maximize their coverage.

Dig deeper:

Cindy Howley is right there with him.

"To the exact day he was able, we played pickleball, and we had a great group of people that we play with," she said. "We adjusted, you know, I was pretty firm about, let's not slam balls at Matt's head."

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

He is more limited than he used to be, but his competitive juices still flow. He's slowing down, but he's not slowing down, if that makes sense. 

Kampmeier and Howley are getting married this summer. On and off the court, they truly are partners and they truly are grateful and they truly are ready to hit back at whatever comes their way.