Amputation took Frank Hetrick’s leg, but it couldn’t touch his spirit

If you know how active and fit he’s been all of his life, your first reaction is something like, “Wow. What a shame!”

But if you know the man and know what’s inside, you realize that there may be no one better equipped to deal with amputation.

“It hasn’t changed my life that much,” said Hetrick. “It did at first, but I drive by myself, and I work out just like before. I miss skating and I miss playing street hockey. But I just made up my mind I’m not going to let it get me down. You can feel sorry for yourself, or you can go on. My wife Donna has been an absolute trooper.

“What I’ve learned is that people are really awesome. You just can’t let it get you down. It would be easy to do.”

Two years ago, Hetrick had his left leg amputated. A prosthetic and a wheelchair have allowed him to stay active, but he’s had to relearn physical movements he’s always taken for granted.

No one meets a challenge head-on quite like Coach Het.

“I have a pretty busy day,” said Hetrick, 80. “I get up around 3:15 or 3:30. I don’t walk too many miles, I just practice that. I work out just as hard as I ever have; no less than two hours every day but Sunday. But I can’t do the hard-core stuff anymore. I do a lot of walking in water.”

The consummate coach and physical education teacher, Hetrick is a Lebanon County legend who was diagnosed with circulatory problems in his legs 18 years ago. An infection contributed to the amputation.

Hetrick was a few years removed from a 53-year coaching career at Cedar Crest and then Annville-Cleona when he lost his left leg.

“They just said it was too late when I saw the surgeon in Hershey,” said Hetrick, a graduate of Palmyra who currently lives north of the borough. “I went out to the Cleveland Clinic because I didn’t want to lose the other leg. I retired with COVID, but I was starting to have problems with my leg before that. I didn’t know what it was. Anything that happens, you can battle through it if you have to.”

Humble, empathetic, and outgoing, Hetrick has affected the lives of thousands of Lebanon County youths through sports, as a role model and through a consistent message of reaffirming support. Part of that message has always been that challenges aren’t as important as how we react to them.

For Hetrick, those are words to live by.

“I didn’t want to ever put a kid down in front of another kid,” he said. “If you encourage kids, they seem like they want to do more. When I lost my leg, you wouldn’t believe how many letters I got saying they wanted to live the way I’m living. I want them to know that there are people out there who want to support you.

“My goal in life has always been to make a difference. There are so many people carrying baggage. Tough times don’t last; tough people do.”

Hetrick taught physical education at Cedar Crest Middle School for 37 years. Between Cedar Crest and Annville-Cleona, he coached football, track, and field and street hockey.

Hetrick’s supportive personality made him more suited for assistant coaching roles than head coaching positions.

Hetrick specifically mentioned Gene Carpenter, Norbie Danz, Terry Lehman, Matt Gingrich, and of course Dale Umberger as men who had a profound effect on his life. What he learned from them, he eagerly passed onto others.

“I still miss teaching,” said Hetrick. “I love coaching, but I loved teaching in the gym more than anything else. I felt like I could make a difference, and I thought it was important to be around middle school kids. My goal in life was to encourage kids, and they need it more than ever in this day and age.”

These days, he spends much of his time between Palmyra and a getaway cottage in Boothbay, Maine. He still teaches Sunday school at the Palmyra-area church he attends.

“I wanted to be a gym teacher in eighth grade, and I got to do what I wanted to do in life,” he said. “I guess my message would be, ‘Don’t quit moving.’ I hope you find your faith. I hope you can make a difference. I think it’s important to show people that anything in life is possible.”

“I was lucky I was brought up by positive parents. I still go back to what my mother told me. It helps when you’re around people like that. Maybe I can help someone who is going through tough times.”

Tough comes in all shapes, sizes, and forms.