WEYMOUTH – Weymouth senior shortstop Gill Dolan knows all about life and death experiences.
He faced one four years ago and defied the odds by surviving.
Dolan had just begun his freshman season at Weymouth in September 2020 when he started noticing red dots on his skin. At the urging of one of his fall league baseball coaches (Jamie Walsh), he went to Milton Hospital, where he was initially diagnosed with mononucleosis.
More than a month later, Dolan wasn’t feeling any better, so his parents took him to South Shore Hospital, where they did blood tests and were so alarmed by the results they immediately sent him to Children’s Hospital for further testing. It was there where Dolan was diagnosed with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare and often life-threatening condition with a mortality rate of over 40 percent, according to the National Library of Medicine. HLH is a life-threatening syndrome in which the immune system responds inappropriately to a triggering event, causing damage to healthy cells and organs in the body.
“We had never heard of this,” said his father, Dennis Dolan. “We had to put our faith in the hands of people a lot smarter than us, but I really thought the way (Gill) looked, he had one foot in (the grave). He was really in bad shape at that time.”
The decision was made to put Dolan in a medically-induced coma for a week while doctors could treat him with a variety of drugs, including chemotherapy. Dolan could not believe it when he awoke and was informed he spent the past seven days in a coma.
“I was absolutely stunned, I really had no reaction at all,” said Dolan, who also battled blood clots at the time. “I just couldn’t understand everything that was going on. I remember saying wow a few times.”
His mother, Marianne Dolan, referred to Gill as a miracle baby for recovering from a potentially fatal illness. Dennis is a firm believer that Gill’s toughness from his early years in the boxing ring paid dividends when he needed it most.
“He trained with (local boxing legend Jimmy Farrell) early on, he learned to be in shape and eating right,” Dennis Dolan said. “I guess you can say Gill fought the good fight and won. He came back with a vengeance like I knew he would.”
Dolan eventually returned to school in time to prepare for his freshman year of varsity baseball. Head coach Joe Paolucci wasn’t sure what to expect given what his new shortstop had been through, but he quickly learned never to bet against Gill Dolan.
“I think because of what Gill went through, he didn’t sweat the small stuff,” Paolucci said. “He never got down on himself and he really appreciated the game more because of that. The kids fed off his energy and they respected him. I named him a captain as a sophomore and he’s the only three-year captain I’ve had in my eight years here.”
Even though his physical skills hadn’t completely caught up to him due in large part to the after effects of the illness, Dolan still managed to hit .278 (34-for-122) and play stellar defense in his first two years. It wasn’t until his junior year that Dolan felt he was 100 percent and he re-introduced himself to the Bay State Conference in a loud way.
He batted an even .500 and broke the school’s single-season record for hits (40), breaking the previous standard established by Tom McMahon in 2001. His performance played a large part in Weymouth going 18-6 and advancing to the second round of the Div. 1 state tournament before losing a 1-0 heartbreaker to Bridgewater-Raynham.
“Mentally it took me a couple of years to get back to where I was,” Dolan said. “Everything changed about me and I didn’t have the confidence I had before. It was right before the start of basketball last year where I really felt like I was back 100 percent and my confidence returned.”
His performance at the plate and in the field drew the interest of several Div. 1 colleges. In Dolan’s eyes, there was only one school he envisioned playing for – UMass. He made it official, signing his National Letter of Intent to play there last November.
“UMass has always been my dream school,” Dolan said. “I know so many kids who went there and everyone loved it. This was an opportunity I just couldn’t pass up.”
Dolan hasn’t rested on his laurels this season. Despite losing the core from last year’s team, the Wildcats are 9-6 and ranked No. 15 in the latest Div. 1 MIAA power rankings. Dolan is hitting .395 (17-for-43) and recently tied McMahon’s record for career hits (91) and has taken on even more of a leadership role.
“I just try to be positive around them,” Dolan said. “I tell them they can do anything they want if they put their mind to it.”
No one knows that life lesson better than Gill Dolan.
