ORONO – After consultation with his doctors, University of Maine head men’s ice hockey coach Shawn Walsh has decided he will not attend Black Bear ice hockey alumni activities planned for Sunday and Monday.

Walsh, who has renal cell carcinoma, a form of kidney cancer, is being treated at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md.

“I am disappointed I can’t be there,” said Walsh, “but my doctors and I felt it was more important to stay here and recover properly to insure I can get back to Maine and get this treatment finalized. I want to put this behind me and get on with preparing for the season.”

The ice hockey alumni weekend includes a game Sunday at 4 p.m. at Alfond Arena and a golf tournament Monday. As part of Sunday’s game, former Black Bear Paul Kariya will have his No. 9 jersey retired.

Walsh underwent a week of chemotherapy, which began May 10, to suppress his immune system in preparation for the transplant, and the actual stem-cell transplant, May 17. Walsh was formally released from NIH May 27, and underwent his first outpatient testing May 29. He will continue to undergo blood tests at NIH to monitor how his body has accepted the stem cells.

Dr. Richard Childs of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and Dr. David Schrump, head of the Thoracic Oncology Section of the Surgery Branch of the National Cancer Institute, are overseeing Walsh’s treatment while at NIH. Childs is the primary investigator of the stem-cell study, which is a collaboration of the NHLBI and NCI.

Walsh successfully underwent surgery March 29 at NIH in preparation for the stem-cell procedure. The initial surgery, known as debulking, included a left pneumonectomy (removal of his left lung), and removal of cancerous tumors located under his breastplate. The debulking surgery Walsh underwent was essential in preparation for the stem-cell transplant because the number of cancer cells present at the time of the transplant is directly related to the success rate of the procedure.

Walsh, originally diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma in early July of last year, underwent these procedures to eradicate cancer cells that have spread to his left lung and his sternum.

Stem cells are immature cells that develop into blood cells. If the transplant is successful, new cells will grow, multiply and attack the cancer cells. The procedure involves transplanting stem cells from someone who is cancer-free and a very close genetic match into the cancer patient. Walsh’s brother, Kevin, was the stem-cell donor for the procedure.

Prior to Walsh’s arrival at NIH for the stem-cell procedure, he remarked about his brother’s contribution.

“The average person has 50-70 stem cells per measure of blood. Kevin has 290, which is by far the highest count my doctors have ever seen,” Walsh said. “My doctors were jumping with joy when they saw the count. What this means, is that I will have the advantage of more cells to fight my cancer. I’m ready and excited to get this process started.”

Expressing his excitement at being selected to be part of this treatment program, Walsh cited the stem-cell transplant procedure as “the one treatment out there that has a better than 50 percent success rate.”

Walsh also expressed his optimism in his doctors, and noting that with the research being in its second phase, a lot of the problems encountered with the first group of patients has led to improvements that will further increase his chance of success.

Walsh had surgery to remove a cancerous left kidney at the Boston Medical Center last July, and underwent immunotherapy cycles at UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center in August and October. Between the two treatments, he returned to campus and directed the team’s practices and was on the ice with the team for its first practice session of the season.

Walsh returned to his regular coaching duties the week of a two-game series with Ohio State University, and was on the bench for the first time last season on Oct. 27 at Alfond Arena. The Black Bears played with extra enthusiasm that night, outshooting the Buckeyes 60-24, but fell in overtime 3-2.

Walsh’s team would give him a 2-0 shutout victory the following night and he was behind the Black Bear bench fulltime after that weekend.

Walsh, 45, has coached the UMaine hockey program to national prominence since his arrival in 1984. His squads have won national championships in 1993 and 1999, and have made five additional trips to the Frozen Four, including the 1999-2000 season.

Walsh earned his 20th NCAA Tournament victory March 23, when UMaine defeated Minnesota 5-4 in overtime at the Centrum Center in Worcester, Mass, in his 11th tournament appearance in 17 years of coaching at UMaine.

He has coached Hobey Baker Award recipients Scott Pellerin (1992) and Paul Kariya (1993) and 26 other All-Americans while compiling a 399-214-44 record at UMaine. He ranks 11th among active coaches and 19th all-time in the college ranks with 399 coaching victories.