Michigan offensive lineman David Moosman dealt with a lot growing up.
Born in the Netherlands, his family moved a few times before settling in Libertyville, Ill., when he was in third grade. So he was able to adapt.
But nothing prepares you for cancer.
His mother, Lynn Moosman, was diagnosed with breast cancer nine years ago. Then it went into remission. Then it came back. Then it was gone again.
The family was relieved. Then, two years after the first diagnosis, she was hit again, this time with colon cancer.
Yet Moosman never flinched, his mom recalled. Faced with his mother's illness as well as his grandmother's bout with cancer, all he wanted to do was help.
"We talked about it while it was happening," Lynn said. "When Mom was in chemo and many surgeries, they would come to see me. I encouraged them to not only have faith but to push through, to achieve their goals."
Moosman wanted to relate those moments to other kids and has become an active volunteer participant at U-M's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.
"It was tough at first and I'm glad she got through it," he said of his mother's setbacks. "It was something we really needed to get through as a family. After going through that, Mott seemed very important to me if I could help somebody going through something similar, I was glad I could help."
Moosman's selflessness also has become his defining trait as a Wolverine.
After learning and playing right guard all last season, Moosman entered this season as part of a unified line. The linemen played well as a group for the first two games and then Moosman was sidelined with a shoulder injury. The line succeeded against Eastern Michigan, but David Molk broke his foot in the game.
That forced Moosman back a week earlier than he expected. Not only did he have to use his injured shoulder to protect against Indiana, he had to make the line calls and shotgun snap the ball to the quarterbacks.
He endured, but with four botched snaps in the game -- "I thought the line did awesome. I thought that I did not do so well," he said -- the spotlight was on him. Moosman adjusted as the weeks progressed, gaining strength in the shoulder and working a rhythm with quarterback Tate Forcier.
Then Molk returned last week, practiced the whole week and Moosman got to go back to guard.
On the first series of the Penn State game, Molk went down again, this time with a knee injury.
"Those were five good plays," Moosman said Monday.
Though Molk tried to return after halftime, he could barely move. When it was announced that Molk had a torn ACL, the center spot became Moosman's, likely for the rest of the season.
Considering he had another snapping issue Saturday -- Mossman sent a ball through the end zone after a miscommunication with Forcier -- that concerns some observers. But Moosman has played better when he's settled at a position and was to have the full load this week at center entering the Illinois game.
He understands the different nature of the center spot from guard, with additional responsibilities, and knows he has to adjust.
"You need to, I was going to say 'center yourself,' " he offered with a grin. "You really need to bring it together and can't get as amped up about everything. You've got to be calm and collected."
Now, knowing where he'll be, he can plan accordingly.
"I've gotten all the bad stuff out of the way and only good things moving forward," Moosman said.
Whatever he's asked, whatever the team needs, he'll do.
"For him and the team, the spotlight is there," his mother said. "He's such a team guy, whether it's a mistake or fantastic play, he's for the team. He's said that over and over again. You learn from your mistakes and move on and get better."
Contact MARK SNYDER: 313-223-3210 or msnyder@freepress.com. Check out his Wolverines blog at freep.com/section/blog14. To see more of the Detroit Free Press, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.freep.com Copyright (c) 2009, Detroit Free Press Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
Copyright (C) 2009, Detroit Free Press