Top Philly Coach Has A New Foe To Beat: Cancer

There are a few people in your life that when you meet them, you know that they are just a one in a million type of person. If you have walked the halls of Frankford High School in Philadelphia sometime in the past three decades, there is a good chance that you have met teacher and coach, Juan Namnun. For those who have met Juan, a Frankford High School graduate (95), you know he is one of those one in the million type of guys.

He has served the Frankford community for the past 20 years as a physical education and health teacher. He has also coached hundreds of athletes as a (previous) football coach, a bowling coach, and a baseball coach. As the Varsity Baseball head coach, he has led his team to eight Philadelphia Public League Championships in his 14 year career as head coach.

Though he is extremely proud of his record on the field, he is just as proud of how high performing his athletes are as students off the field. He makes sure that his athletes understand the importance of attendance to school and and the importance of maintaining a high GPA. He instills in them the idea that without discipline in the classroom, they cannot achieve discipline on the baseball field.

Juan’s greatest accomplishment is his family. Juan is married to his high school sweetheart Lena, and has three sons: Derek, Jared, and Jake. There are few conversations to be had where Juan does not bring up about how proud he is of them and the accomplishments they continue to have, which he is too modest to ever take any credit. He selflessly gives what he can to all those he can.

Juan discovered in July that he has to overcome a different kind of foe, one almost as rare as he is: Male Breast Cancer.

Due to the rarity of breast cancer in men, some tests by some providers have not been covered. He has already had to pay for copays, and for certain tests that must be paid upfront, which are adding up. Additionally, because of the invasiveness of surgeries, much of time that Juan will be using for his surgery and recovery will be at reduced pay.

Juan has done so much for his friends family and community and is very much deserving of our support at this time of need. Please consider donating to help support a man who has given so much for others.