NFL Player Eric Berry Says God Prepared Him for Battle With Cancer
Eric Berry says God has prepared him for a battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma that is keeping him off of the football field.
Berry, the 25-year-old Kansas City Chiefs safety, was recently diagnosed when he completed testing after finding a mass in his chest. After the Chiefs placed Berry on the non-football illness list last month, the NFL player publicly confirmed that he was dealing with the cancerous disease.
Berry expressed his gratitude to both his supporters and the doctors he is working with to help battle the disease.
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"My family and I are very grateful for the amount of support we have received over the last couple of weeks. I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate all the words of encouragement, the blessings and well wishes," he said in a statement released by the Chiefs. "I want to thank the Emory University School of Medicine, along with Dr. Flowers and his team, for all of their hard work and effort in diagnosing and creating a plan for me to battle this thing."
One of the doctors working with Berry, Christopher R. Flowers, is also the director of the Emory Lymphoma Program. He spoke about plans for chemotherapy and treatment for the NFL player.
"This is a diagnosis that is very treatable and potentially curable with standard chemotherapy approaches," Flowers said in a statement released by the Chiefs. "The goal of Mr. Berry's treatment is to cure his lymphoma and we are beginning that treatment now."
Berry insists God has prepared him for the battle, and extended prayers to those who were going through similar situations.
"I will embrace this process and attack it the same way I do everything else in life. God has more than prepared me for it," Berry said in his statement. "For everyone sharing similar struggles, I'm praying for you and keep fighting!"
The Chiefs have decided to sell T-shirts in support of Berry at their Arrowhead stadium with the slogan, "Be Bold, Be Brave, Be Berry." While the T-shirts are also available at the team's website, 100 percent of the proceeds for the $20 items will go toward the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
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