Beaver Won’t Back Down from ALS

August 28, 2025

As Buena Vista University Head Baseball Coach Steve Eddie ’00 MSE ’07 walked away from the diamond an hour or so following a dramatic regular-season title-clinching sweep by the Beavers on May 2, his thoughts turned to former baseball player Derek Fink ’06.

“Derek Fink sent me a text today that really helped me reset, mentally,” Eddie said. “Derek texted and apologized for being unable to get to the games today. He sent a message to just let me know he was thinking about our team and our coaches on what he knew was a huge day for the program.”

The Beavers defeated Coe that day by scores of 4-1 and 9-5 to claim the program’s 19th conference championship. Derek Fink, Athletic Director serving Denison High School, was not in attendance as a family commitment kept him at home.

Derek is also in the throes of a herculean battle of his own, one waged against ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

“The fact he (Derek Fink) texted Coach Eddie and said he was thinking about coach and the team, that is exactly who Derek is. The guy is selfless. He has always put others first.”

-Justin Bro ’05

“The fact he texted Coach Eddie and said he was thinking about coach and the team, that is exactly who Derek is,” said Justin Bro ’05, a teammate and roommate of Derek’s during their BVU days two decades ago. “The guy is selfless. He has always put others first.”

Others have put Derek first in recent months and weeks as he fights the effects of the disease, which has adversely impacted his speech. Derek’s BVU suitemates and friends surrounded him in April as they headed south to Augusta, Ga., to view The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National, almost a “holy trip” of sorts for those who love golf. Bro joined Randy Bissen ’05, Eric Wiebers ’05, Nolan Grimm ’06, Mark Joekel ’07, David Joekel, Drew Adams, and Jeff Deren in accompanying Derek to Augusta.

Two tickets for each day of the four-day “major” were secured. So, as two guys headed to Augusta National, the rest of the group traveled to a nearby golf course for a day on the links. They’d return early each evening for dinner and hear tales from whomever attended The Masters that day.

Those friends and many more would convene at the Majestic Hills Golf Course in Denison in July as people in Derek’s hometown hosted a fundraiser to aid in paying for treatments. More than $114,000 was raised for Derek and his family, boosting their cause as he seeks treatment abroad in Antigua. Chelsea (Anderson) Bissen ’08, of I Saw The Sign, made and donated hats, shirts, signs, and other Team Fink mementoes to commemorate an event that drew together a number of Beavers beyond Fink’s friend group.

Derek’s diagnosis came in July 2024, following some difficulties he experienced in verbally communicating. Two maternal aunts in his family were previously diagnosed with ALS, one confirmed to be genetic. Derek’s ALS is deemed a sporadic form, not genetic.

“As I learned of the diagnosis, I took a deeper dive into understanding the disease,” he said. “There is currently no cure and only a few drugs approved by the FDA to slow its progression.”

Derek worked with his wife, Stephanie, as they dealt with ALS in the moment while seeking normalcy for themselves, their sons, and the students and student-athletes Derek serves at Denison. The strength in his body and extremities remained at 100 percent throughout the school year, which allowed him to continue coaching boys’ basketball.

He and Stephanie continue to attack ALS head-on, researching how others approach their treatment.

“As an athlete and coach, we are used to gameplans, so I had to come up with our approach, and wanted to find people who have successfully fought against a mighty opponent,” Derek said. “I found Johnny Rodriguez and Stephanie and I spoke to him.”

They learned of Rodriguez’s cold-plunge treatments and peptides to complement medication prescribed by their neurologist. They read up on stem cells, cellular voltage regimens, and exosome treatments.
They traveled to Antigua for treatments in May and August. A third round of treatments is scheduled for November, again in Antigua. He and Stephanie head to Dallas, Texas, later in August, for a stem-cell treatment recently approved by the FDA.

“There is no playbook for ALS,” Derek said. “But much like competing and coaching, you pick the brains of others who have experience with it. And you figure out how to best attack it.”

As he continues to fight, folks in Denison and his BVU friends examine ways in which they can maintain their assistance. Bro, who serves as commissioner of the fantasy football league for their Beaver buddies, stays in touch with Team Gleason, a group founded by former New Orleans Saints defensive back, Steve Gleason, who has fought the disease since 2011.

“We might do a tournament next summer in Denison to help raise funds and awareness for people with ALS,” Bro said. “This could prove very helpful for those who are fighting like Derek.”

As the youngest of four, Derek said he’s been conditioned his entire life to punch upward, as the saying goes. He and Stephanie and their family use words “Energy,” “Attitude,” and “Toughness,” all of which comprise Team Fink’s rallying cry.

Rollie Wiebers ’79 helped organize and emcee the benefit golf tournament and auction in Denison. He turned the mic over to Derek to allow him to express his gratitude.

“I am truly overwhelmed, grateful, and humbled by all of you today. Your outpouring of support since we started this Team Fink effort has truly blown me away,” he said. “Please know that although my opponent seems to be undefeated, we are still going to come up with a gameplan and take this thing to the fourth quarter and give it all we have.

“I have great teammates by my side, and it gives me great comfort,” he concluded. “Our hearts are full, and we are prepared to attack each day with an unrelenting energy with a courageous attitude and unrivaled toughness. I have many teammates to lean on when tough times arrive. Some days, ALS may get the best of me, but it’s never going to get me to back down from it.”