Jeff Kraus, 45, and his wife, Cheryl, of Ashburn Village have eight children ages 4 to 20 in the public schools. Active on the Dulles Little League board of directors, Kraus coaches his son Bryan's baseball teams as well as his daughters Mary's and Bridget's rookie baseball teams. He's also head of the ushers at Saint Anthanasius Catholic Church in Vienna where his wife is the choir director. The family has been going there since 1996.
He says that people ask him all the time where he finds the time to be involved in so many activities. "I tell people it's not so much a matter of having the time as it is making the time to be involved," he said. "We feel it's important to be involved in our children's activities, not just because they are our children, but because we know how difficult it is to run a volunteer organization. If people don't get involved, the organization suffers and that takes away from the children's experience."
Last Spring, Jeff started having bad abdominal pains, which he thought was an ulcer. After his third visit, his doctor convinced him to have a colonoscopy. That's when he discovered he had colon cancer. In September, as a precaution he had surgery to remove all but 10 inches of his colon and now wears a colostomy bag. When he came out of surgery he discovered some of the polyps had spread to his abdomen and liver.
He takes a pragmatic view of the situation.
"I'm just kind of rolling with it because it's totally out of my control," Kraus said. "... So all you can do is adapt and have faith that everything will take care of itself."
He is now on number seven of 12 chemotherapy treatments. He said he's lucky that he hasn't missed much work as a software engineer for Riskmetrics Group in Rockville, where he telecommutes from his home. "So far I have been very fortunate," he said.
For now, he's focusing on getting enough rest and making sure he gets enough good nutrition. After the fourth chemo treatment, the doctors did another scan and said it is improving. He said the chemo treatments will be finished in March and at that time they'll re-evaluate him after another scan. "So far, the progress has been positive," he said.
Kraus adds he grew up in Middlesex, N.J., which has a big construction industry, known for having high cancer rates.
To help Jeff and his family, the Dulles Little League is holding a Casino Night fund-raiser, "Take a Chance on Love" on Saturday, Feb. 14, from 8-11 p.m., at the Embassy Suites Dulles North. Tickets are $100 per couple and $75 per single. The Embassy Suites is at 44610 Waxpool Road, Ashburn. Make checks payable to DLL-Jeff Kraus Benefit Fund, and mail to DLL c/o Jim Klock, 43861 Cowgill Court, Ashburn, VA 20147.
Regarding the fund-raiser, Kraus is slightly uncomfortable about being in the spotlight, but appreciates the sentiment. "Obviously, we appreciate everything [organizer Jim Klock] trying to do for us."