FAMILY MATTERS TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS GIVE HOLIDAYS NEW MEANING FOR UCLA ASSISTANT.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

Don Johnson left UCLA's campus after Wednesday's practice and fought the traffic on the 405 to Irvine to begin preparing a Thanksgiving feast that was filled with as much turkey and stuffing and pies as it was with deep emotion.

It has been a difficult two-year stretch for the tight family, which was first stricken by tragedy when one Johnson's four children, Duane, was killed in an auto accident in February 2002.

Thursday, the close-knit family thought of Duane, and also gave thanks for something heading toward a much happier conclusion.

Johnson is in his fifth season as UCLA's defensive line coach. His 31-year-old daughter and mother of four, Denise Scott, is in the 11th month of a recovery from cancer of the uterus.

Together, they helped prepare dinner for roughly 25 guests, all of whom shared the difficulty of a two-year cycle that tested every aspect of the family's faith, resolve and character.

``There is always more emotion involved for us at Thanksgiving, and it's even more this time,'' said Debbie Johnson, Don's wife. ``No. 1, we're thankful because (Denise) got, what we call, a clean bill of health. And we were always thankful to share, but this is with her being here, and the kids knowing she is OK.''

The elaborate dinner featured three turkeys, three hams, a couple of roasts, homemade stuffing, bread made from Johnson's grandmother's secret recipe, along with macaroni and cheese and a bundle of accompaniments.

The day featured smiles and laughter, because five months ago Denise said she ``could only dream of being there for Thanksgiving.''

And the day also brought moist eyes and sorrow, because Duane would have celebrated his 26th birthday earlier this month, and ``you don't ever forget'' such a loss, Don said.

Tragedy, and again

Not a day goes by where Don and Debbie, the parents of two daughters and two sons, don't grieve the loss of Duane.

Duane was a passenger in the sport-utility vehicle driven by former San Diego Padres outfielder Mike Darr, who overcompensated after drifting into the median of a highway and flipped the car. Darr and Duane were killed Feb. 15, 2002.

The accident lives as much within the family as when it happened. Don has a picture of Duane taped to his desk at UCLA, a constant reminder of a cherished life, and his eyes tear up when he speaks of it.

But when Denise learned an advanced stage of cancer infiltrated her body, the family's focused changed.

``I think (Denise's cancer) kind of took us out of mourning the loss of a son to focusing on the life of a daughter for a while, even though (Duane) is always in the back of your mind,'' Johnson said.

``You wonder sometimes, but that's where your religion and faith kick in. I put in my mind that there was no way I could lose another child right now.''

A devastating diagnosis

When Johnson turned down the defensive coordinator's job at the University of Nevada last December, remaining close to much of his family in Southern California was a major reason. So was the fact Duane is buried in Riverside.

A few weeks later, the next bit of emotionally crushing news hit the Johnsons.

While fans were cursing the Bruins for a dismal performance and a loss to Fresno State in the Silicon Valley Bowl, doctors were trying to locate Denise, who was at the game. It took days for Denise to get in touch with the doctors. Finally, she was told tests revealed cancer of the uterus.

``The doctors let me know the key thing was this is an easily curable cancer,'' said Denise, a mother of four. ``A hysterectomy would take care of it.''

The day after surgery was performed in February, former UCLA defensive ends Mat and Dave Ball, well-known for being jokesters, visited Denise in the hospital to cheer her up.

The short-term effect was wonderful, but the routine check of her lymph nodes during surgery showed the cancer had spread. Six weeks later, Denise learned more tumors were found and an aggressive treatment was necessary.

She would have to undergo radiation, chemotherapy, and drip-chemotherapy, a treatment during which she carried around a drip bag four days at a time.

``I said, `What else?'' Debbie said. ``When you lose a child, it's like, `OK, what else?' ''

When Denise's treatment began in March, so did one of the busiest times for a college football coach. It was offseason recruiting, and Don wasn't just out of town, he often was on the East Coast.

So Don's sister-in-law, who lives in North Carolina, flew in to spend time with Denise, as did Don's son, Don Jr., who lives in Portland, Ore. Several other family members also helped.

Meanwhile, Don continued working the usual 12- to 14-hour days, coaching spring practice and recruiting, all with the blessing of his family and the support from UCLA.

``Whenever a situation comes up, I want him to be available to his family,'' UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said. ``(Don Johnson) tried to keep it under wraps, and still do his responsibility in terms of his job, and we appreciate that. But he knows he has full support from me to do whatever he needs to do at any particular time.''

Help all around

Denise, who often made jokes about her appearance despite her condition, left her job as a customer service supervisor with AT&T. When she finished her radiation and chemotherapy in July, she lost 45 pounds and her hair.

``My wig fell off at the airport, but I didn't care what people think,'' she said, adding there were ``areas of my body that didn't have skin.''

Don canceled an NFL summer internship with the San Diego Chargers to help, drove from UCLA to Denise's house in Irvine daily.

Debbie also spent much of her spare time in Irvine while Denise's husband, Gary Scott, an engineer, was working on a project in Woodland Hills.

There also was the matter of caring for Denise's and Gary's four children: Brandon (12 years old), Kevaughn (6), Takara (5) and Nevin (23 months). Because of the chemotherapy, the smell of food made Denise nauseous, so the parents of other school children, teachers, administrators, co-workers and friends took turns bringing meals to the Scott home.

Many of Johnson's former and current players, and their parents, also phoned and visited Denise to offer support.

``There were times when I took her to the doctor, and she had to ride with her head out of the window because the leather scent of the car set her off and made her sick,'' Don said.

``There were a couple of times we had to take her to the emergency room because her blood count was real low and she had a couple of infections.''

Some good news

It has been five months since Denise finished her treatments. She goes back for testing every six weeks, and so far the news has been positive.

Denise said there are some ``issues,'' but the last two exams were clear. She had a biopsy of a mass last week, and a CT-scan Monday. The results of the tests won't be known until next week.

``It's on your mind every day,'' Denise said. ``All I can think about is what I've just been through, and I don't know how I can ever go through it again.''

There also is the memory of Duane, which was invoked Thursday when everyone gathered for dinner.

Duane was drafted in the 18th round by the Philadelphia Phillies, played minor-league baseball for two years, and then shifted to football at Fullerton College.

``He always brought players home,'' Debbie Johnson said. ``He always said, 'I'm bringing home a player,' and I'd say, 'I know.' We continue to do that.''

Whether Don or Denise is the better cook - they both lay claim to that title - really didn't matter. Thursday, the meats were a little juicier, the mac-and-cheese a bit creamier, the bread a tad softer, and the pies even more sweet.

But none of that compared with the emotions, that, were such a big part of Thanksgiving.

Brian Dohn, [phone]

brian.dohn(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) UCLA defensive line coach Don Johnson and his family have been caring for Denise, who is recovering from cancer.

(2) The Johnson family in an undated photo. Don Johnson's son Duane, standing third from right, died in a 2002 car accident.

Courtesy Don Johnson