The recent revelation that Eagles running back Jerome Harrison
has a brain tumor
— hopefully it’s not cancerous — underscores the reality that athletes
are just like you and I. They suffer through the same traumas and
dramas, and are vulnerable to the general unpredictability of life.
Despite their physical and mental toughness, each of which they’ve
forged through years of athletic competition, nothing can prepare them
for undertaking the fights of their lives. The following athletes
accepted the challenge presented by cancer, triumphantly defeating it as
we cheered them on. Not all athletes are role models, but these guys —
just a handful of the many cancer survivors in sports — exhibited traits
everyone should emulate.
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Unquestionably
one of the best hockey players to ever lace up the skates, Lemieux’s
health was his most fierce rival. During his career, he battled chronic
back pain, chronic tendinitis, a spinal disc herniation, and most
daunting, Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Diagnosed during the 1992-93 season, in
which he was on pace to eclipse the single-season goal and points
records, he was sidelined for two months as he underwent aggressive
radiation treatments. Incredibly, he played on the last day of the
treatments, scoring a goal and tallying an assist against the Flyers.
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Most
26-year-old athletes are entering the primes of their careers — Koivu,
instead, simply wanted to stay alive. As with Lemieux and many other
players in the intensely physical sport of hockey, he constantly battled
injuries, which, in a way, may have prepared him for his bout with
non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. While on a flight to the U.S. from Finland, he
experienced tremendous stomach pain and vomiting — clear signs that
something wasn’t right. As a result, he received aggressive treatment
with radiation and drugs, causing him to lose significant amounts of
weight and energy. With the motivation provided by the support of fellow
athletes who endured the disease, he managed to return before the end
of the 2001-02 season. He helped the Canadiens reach the playoffs, and
played the best hockey of his career — to that point — the following
season.
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The
length at which a cancer patient is required to fight the disease
varies. Cullen’s harrowing 18-month battle included numerous peaks and
valleys, none of which disrupted his focus. Initially, a baseball-sized
tumor was found in his chest, but chemotherapy treatments eliminated it
in just a few months. Because cancer cells were still present in his
body, he sat out the 1997-98 season to continue his fight. During that
time, he suffered cardiac arrest — needing a defibrillator to revive him
— and he later received a bone marrow transplant, which severely
weakened him. His hockey career wasn’t over, however. When he was
declared cancer free, he trained for a comeback, eventually signing with
the Lightning.
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It’s
difficult not to concede that women are the stronger humans. Breland is
proof, as she too successfully defeated Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma while
she was just 21-years-old. A student at the North Carolina at the time,
she spent six months receiving chemotherapy treatments, missing the
entire 2009-10 season. The Tar Heels leading scorer and rebounder in
2008-09 returned for her redshirt senior season, performing well enough
garner a selection in the WNBA draft by the Minnesota Lynx, which traded
her to the New York Liberty.
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Breast
cancer in the most common form of cancer diagnosed in women. Most of us
personally know a woman who has dealt with the disease, whether it’s a
family member, friend, coworker, or acquaintance. Campbell certainly
touched the lives of her teammates and fans as she battled the disease
during her fourth season in the league. Incredibly, she continued to
play through her treatments, serving as inspiration to the many women in
her situation. Through the years, the WNBA has had a close relationship
with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, utilizing its players
to promote awareness of the disease. Campbell became the league’s
national spokesperson for the effort, a job she embraced.
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A
former chewer of tobacco, Butler was diagnosed with squamous cell
carcinoma of the tonsils during the latter of stages of his accomplished
Major League career. After having a tonsil removed due to what the
doctors thought was an infection, it was found to be cancerous, and he
was forced to sit out while undergoing intensive treatment. Sidelined in
May, he returned in September, finishing the season in which he
encountered the biggest obstacle of his life. The 39-year-old went on to
play one more season in the Majors.
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Coming
off of three consecutive seasons in which he hit 40 or more homeruns,
Galaragga was enjoying the greatest success of his baseball career.
However, just prior to the 1999 season, he experienced nagging back pain
that wouldn’t go away. It turned out to be non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and
he missed the entire season as he underwent chemotherapy treatment. On
Opening Day in 2000, he returned to hit a game-winning homerun, setting
the tone for an unexpectedly successful season in which he made his
fifth career All-Star appearance and won the National League Comeback
Player of the Year Award.
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In
2006, the Red Sox prospect earned a promotion to the big leagues, but
his rookie season was disrupted as he was faced with non-Hodgkin’s
lymphoma. During a late-season game, he was scratched from a start due
to a sore back, which he thought was caused by a car accident that
occurred a month earlier. Enlarged lymph nodes and subsequent tests
indicated it was more serious, and he received chemotherapy treatments
during the offseason. Fortunately for Lester, it was gone before the
2007 season, enabling him to work his way back up to the bigs. The
payoff was huge, as he won the clinching game of the World Series.
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Herzlich’s
senior season at Boston College was supposed to be an audition for the
NFL — a chance to catapult himself into the first round. In the previous
season, the linebacker made major strides, receiving First-team
All-American honors. Seemingly indestructible, he shocked Eagles fans
when he revealed prior to the season that he had Ewing’s sarcoma. Just a
few weeks into the season, and four months after the diagnosis, he
declared that he was cancer free. He then focused on preparing for the
2010 season — he eventually started all 13 games and recorded 65
tackles. He was signed by the Giants before the 2011 NFL season, and he
remains on the team’s 53-man roster.
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At
the age of 25, well-before he fulfilled is cycling potential, Armstrong
was diagnosed with stage three Embryonal carcinoma. Because the cancer
had spread to his brain, lungs, and abdomen, he was forced to
immediately undergo surgery and chemotherapy. Even after the exhaustive
response, he was given just a 40% chance of survival. He chose to
undergo an alternative form of treatment that would preserve his lungs
and thus his cycling career. Defying the odds, his cancer went into
remission, and returned to training. Now, as a healthy 40-year-old, he
boasts seven Tour de France victories, the most ever.
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