When the Fort Hamilton volleyball team’s practice shirts arrived, some letters — two l’s and an e — seemed to be missing.
“Changes are what make life interesting,” the back of the shirts read. “Overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”
“Challenges. It’s supposed to say ‘challenges’,” Eddie Nogay said.
Changes. Challenges. For the 17-year-old senior, they are one and the same. And he can handle either.
So much has changed for Eddie in the last year. The 5-foot-11 middle hitter was ranked third in the PSAL with 120 kills last season as the Tigers finished with a 5-7 record.
This season, Fort Hamilton has won its first three matches with Eddie helping lead the way. And he is doing it without his right arm, amputated just below the shoulder last Halloween after cancer was discovered near his right elbow.
And with a lung that collapsed in January, a condition that took two surgeries to correct.
And while continuing to undergo regular treatments designed to stop the spread of the cancer — which robbed him of his dominant arm and is now spotting his lungs, but hasn’t come close to dampening his indomitable spirit.
How’s that for a change? How’s that for a challenge?
“I don’t want to say it has all just rolled off him, because he did understand it was serious,” said Eddie’s coach, Kim Tolve. “But he has been able to rebound. … Even the doctors and the nurses said they’d never seen a 17-year-old deal with this type of heartache and strife without flinching.
“It’s a testament to the kind of kid he is. He’s a fighter.’’
Born in Uzbekistan, Eddie came to the United States with his mother, Natalya Kan, and older brother Victor, in 1999. Eddie and his mom always were aware of the lump near his right elbow, but an MRI exam taken eight years ago showed nothing to worry
about. But doctors said to keep an eye on it. Last season, that area of his arm began to hurt, but Eddie kept quiet and played on.
Once the season ended, he spoke up. Tests revealed a hemangioma and, after an initial misdiagnosis, it needed to be removed. Full recovery would take two weeks.
“But when they opened him up, they saw something abnormal,” Natalya said.
A biopsy revealed a sarcoma and, when neither radiation nor chemotherapy had the desired result, the decision was made to amputate a large portion of Eddie’s arm.
“But after that surgery, the scans came back and [the cancer] had spread into my main [arm] nerves,” Eddie said. “Their first choice was to do a fourquarter amputation, which is basically taking the whole shoulder, including the collar bone.”
Despite the recommendation of everyone around him, Eddie nixed that as too extreme.
“I didn’t think it would make me look human,” he said.
Ten days after that surgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Eddie was back in the gym moving nets and keeping stats as manager of the girls’ volleyball team, which won the city championship last fall.
“He’s the strongest guy I’ve ever met,” said teammate and closest friend Dennis Dikarev. “I’m kind of inspired by him. … He’s still the same kid. I know if it was me I wouldn’t be that strong about it. But he embraces it.’’
Eddie’s resolve and his constant smile has made him a rock star at school. Everyone knows him.
“And it was like that before the surgeries,” Tolve said. “And the grace with which he has handled this has magnified the popularity he had.’’
A fashionista with a love for sneakers, Eddie recently was voted best dressed in the senior class at a ceremony those who attended described as moving.
“I just try to make the school a better place, make sure everybody around me is happy and friendly with everyone,” he said. “It’s a good school.”
It also is a school community which has reached out to Eddie and his family, especially Tolve, who has been beside Eddie every step of the way.
“I can’t tell you how much she has meant to us,” Natalya said.
“Throughout the whole situation, my coach has been there,” Eddie said. “When my arm was amputated, I’m pretty sure people didn’t think I was going to play. But I told coach, ‘I’m going to make it happen. I’m not going to sit around and let the disease kill me. I’m going to make a difference.’ ”
And so he has. This month Eddie was honored by the Francesco Luccisano Memorial Foundation as one of “Frankie’s Heroes,” for the hope he tries to instill in others.
“He’s been amazing,” said Victor, 22, and a student at Brooklyn College. “Our relationship was good before, but it’s gotten stronger. If there’s a silver lining to it, our relationship has gotten that much better.’’
Natalya and Victor had no idea Eddie was this strong.
“He kept getting bad news,” Victor said. “First the cancer, then the surgeries leading up to the amputation. Now it’s his lungs. We’re feeding off what he does. If he’s OK, then we have no choice but to be.’’
“He’s probably the strongest person in our family through all this,” his mother said. “He’s always positive. Even if he has a bad moment, it’s just for a few minutes. I’m sure he’s thinking about it a lot, but he never shows it to us — ever.”
On the court, he appears to be the same old Eddie, calling out the occasional play in his native Russian so as not to tip off the opposition. But the game has changed for him, dramatically. For one thing, some opposing players have told him he’s an inspiration.
“He’s adapted,” Tolve said. “I think he gets a little frustrated because he doesn’t have the power behind his hits he used to have. He relies more on the mental game now.”
“Last year I reached a very high level and volleyball became fun,” Eddie said. “But now it’s about focus and concentration, because I have to work triple as hard as everybody else. … Basically it’s work, but I’m sure I’ll get back to the level I was at before.’’
Eddie rarely uses his prosthesis because it’s uncomfortable, but says he will wear it to prom. The honors student is considering enrolling at Hunter College in the fall, for its proximity to the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center as much as anything.
“I’m still happy,” he said, and you can’t help but believe him. “Obviously, there have been moments where I’ve cried and been down on myself. But I don’t let anybody see that or they may lose hope too.
“After everything I’ve been through, honestly, it’s not about me anymore. I just want to make a difference in people’s lives so they realize anything is possible. Just make a change.’’
Or accept a challenge.
dburke@nypost.com