As a Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivor myself (obviously every case is different - I had stage 2) there is a very very good chance that Foster can come back and play football again. My course of treatment was around 6 months of chemo and was lucky enough to practically immediately be able to restart a normal life after that
Thank you! Also worth noting that if they found it during a physical it’s a higher chance of being stage 1, etc. if he wasn’t showing symptoms (always get weird shit checked out by a doc if you’ve got no explanation)
Inflamed lymph nodes in my clavicle region and for whatever reason, incredibly itchy elbows. I also had a cold that wouldn’t go away seemingly which is why I ended up going to the doctor
Same here. One of my clavicles was no longer really indented… but instead a little puffy. I was stage 2 as well. Had a similar treatment plan to you it sounds like. Had to do a couple weeks of radiation too. Been doing good for the past 4 plus years. Best wishes to you and Foster!
Just had to get checked for this. Ultrasound of the armpits, CT scan, and tons of blood work.
Conclusion: not cancer!
So why are my lymph nodes swollen? Nobody fucking knows, but it's not cancer!
No. Based on my blood work, CT, and the fact I have no other symptoms, both doctors I was seeing deemed that unnecessary. My total lymphocytes were low and apparently the CT showed that most of the swollen nodes had gone down, all except the two annoying fuckers in my left armpit. They figure it is likely bacterial or viral remnants clearing from my lymph system.
I had a lymph node in my neck swell back when I was a teenager during a bad cold and it just...never went back down. It's been "swollen" for like 15 years now and I've had 5 doctors all say it's nothing. So it apparently happens - all I know is it's not a lipoma and there's never been concern of cancer.
I also had stage two Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I was considered asymptomatic. I had enlarged lymph nodes in the left side of my neck. That’s why I got checked out initially even though it took a year to diagnose me.
I had two ultrasounds. They then did a needle biopsy that was inconclusive. The nodes just continued to be enlarged and I was getting more and more of them in my neck. I finally saw an ear, nose and throat doctor and he did a full biopsy by taking out an enlarged lymph node.
I want to add this just in case others may have this symptom. Alcohol intolerance. It’s not a common one that is discussed, but it can happen. I would have a few sips of beer and within 15 minutes I had such severe pain that it felt like I was being stabbed in the back. Multiple doctors appointments later turns out it was Hodgkin’s Lymph.
It still blows my mind that Eric Berry *gained* a pound while doing chemotherapy. I know she didn't actually lose that much, but it felt like my mom shrunk nearly in half during two rounds of chemo.
There's also different chemo drugs and treatment plans for different cancers. During my 4 months of chemo I gained every bit of 20lbs. Didn't eat at all during the chemo week but during the rest weeks there was nothing to do but eat
Yeah, it really puts it into perspective how "different" some people are. Dude was working out harder than 99% of the population while going through chemo. Then came back and was more athletic than 99.999% of the population.
This this and this. Only you know your body, no one else. If something feels off get it checked. And if you don’t feel comfortable with doctor diagnosis, get a second opinion.
My 17 year old cousin had stage 4 and just finished the last round of chemo. It sucks seeing people go through that shit but she’s already bouncing back like crazy
My mom was just told yesterday that they’re 95% sure she has breast cancer but she has to get another test to confirm with 100% certainty (though they were saying how they “caught it early enough,” which is enough to tell me they already know 100%) and I know it’s a different cancer and like you said every case is different but Foster Moreau got me feeling some kinda way and your comment made me feel a little bit better so thank you.
Hey man, my mom got breast cancer like 7 years ago. I cried at work the day my parents told me. It was a stressful time, no doubt, but my mom went through chemo and eventually got a mastectomy and reconstruction and she's cancer-free now. You'd never even know what she went through by looking at her today, the only thing that changed was that her hair grew back more gray than before, but she was in her mid 50s so it was about that time anyway. My family actually got *closer* going through it, we got a little bit more of our "ICE" shit together, and I think it also made me appreciate what I have more. My family is amazing, and I didn't always think that when I was younger, but we all had each other's backs throughout the process and gave each other a lot of love. I don't think my mom's cancer was caught especially early, so I like your chances and I'm rooting for you guys. Give each other a lot of love and stay as positive and supportive as you can. Best of luck to you and your family <3
Thank you man❤️
I’m glad to hear such a positive story and that your mom got through it and is so healthy today. I really appreciate hearing such a positive experience.
The good news is that if they aren't sure and they think they caught it pretty early, then it's almost certainly going to be relatively easy to treat. They definitely dont see it spread to anywhere else if that's what they have said, so I wouldnt be too worried right now even though it is scary as fuck.
Congratulations man! Same here. Stage two. 4 months of chemo and then a month of radiation. May 2nd will be a year since my treatment ended. I’m good to go.
EDIT - ironically enough I scheduled my surgery for my port to come out today.
Glad you're okay. My uncle got Hodgkins lymphoma when he was 29 and died of it at 40. For whatever reason, even though it's one of the most treatable cancers and he was super young when he got it, his case was particularly tenacious.
>he was super young when he got it
Not all cancers happen in old people, which is something more people should know. I've seen plenty of people who ignored symptoms for too long because they figured they were young and couldn't get diseases like this. Hodgkins lymphoma is most common in people aged 15-35.
Absolutely. I was just saying that mortality rates increase with age, so dying at that age of a very curable cancer was unusual, not that it was odd that he got it.
My brother had stage 4 Hodgkin's when they discovered it in *1992*. I'm just saying, if they could get his into remission way the hell back then (took a year of some pretty harsh chemo) and he went on to live a full, healthy life and even had a kid (was 29 when discovered). Unfortunately, he passed of a stroke this last year, but he got 30 more good years after his treatment and the stroke had nothing to do with Hodgkin's. This early stage diagnosis shouldn't be a problem for Foster.
Yep. My doctor straight up told me “congrats, you’ve got the good cancer” when I got my diagnosis lmao because it’s one of the most “easily” treatable forms
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas can be much worse, especially something like Burkitt's or later staged ENKTCL-NT. For treatment, the regimes like EPOCH-R or something tend to be hellacious.
My wife had stage 4 at 16. St. Jude was huge and still does checks on her, but she is living a normal life now. It's crazy how far we have come in treatments and they are still advancing.
David Brooks, a PL soccer player, recently came back from Hodgkins after 2 years.
They are literally the opposite in terms of physicality though, so I guess we’ll see
Jon Lester was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in his rookie season and was back midway through the next season. He went on to play for another 13 seasons during which he was a 5x All-Star.
Inflamed lymph nodes in my clavicle region and for whatever reason, incredibly itchy elbows. I also had a cold that wouldn’t go away seemingly which is why I ended up going to the doctor
First tests were blood tests and they saw my numbers were wack. But then the only way to really tell is a biopsy
Hodgkin's has a much better survival rate than non-hodgkins. Non is MUCH more aggressive and usually caught in stage 3 on its way to stage 4. Decent change of a long happy life for you and Foster. God bless.
Eric Berry had Hodgkins Lymphoma discovered in December, had chemo in the offseason, and was back the following year. Sounds like they caught it early so very possible Moreau returns to football
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Berry
Edit: According to the Wikipedia page (look at 2014-2015), he was diagnosed early December and cleared to play by late July the following year, so approximately 8 months
My oncologist would routinely mention another one of his patients with HL to me that went to the gym every day during his treatment. Don’t worry, he did not tell me his name or anything.
A powerlifter I follow suffered a bilateral quad tear and was back to squatting 730 less than a year later. Some of these guys are driven beyond belief and it's always incredible to watch those journeys unfold.
Lance Armstrong did the same thing, and while he was obviously also on PEDs, he talked a lot in his book about how the exercise helped him through chemo.
Jon Lester was diagnosed with large cell lymphoma in August 2006 and was back pitching by July 2007. Then went on to win 3 World Series (and broke the Cubs' curse).
It's gotta be such a difficult thing to contend with. Like being diagnosed with cancer must be devastating, but having it caught in a physical for work, rather than once symptoms and signs start showing, could be a bit relieving
I have no idea. It looks like (as a layman, not a doctor or any sort of expert) the primary presenting symptom is swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpits, and groin. As such, I would think any standard physical would at least catch the swollen lymph nodes and prompt further testing?
You are correct. A routine physical would surely set off red flags for any doctor worth his pay check if he had enlarged nodes in the neck or under arms.
In my experience most work physicals just check if you can lift and bend, so I doubt they'd catch lymph node enlargement. Obviously physicals for professional athletes are much more thorough.
Most likely there was some change between his physicals. He probably would have had an exit physical to deal with any potential injury payout/settlement issues from his old team.
Your CBC that you should have done once a year at a physical will tell your blood cell count, which is likely how they found it after running more tests.
Prayers for Foster.
Not sure what a pro athlete physical entails, but Hodgkin Lymphoma tends to present with swollen lymph nodes (especially in the neck) and fever, weight loss, and night sweats. In a normal physical a careful doc would feel lymph nodes in the head and neck and should ask you about any major symptoms you've been experiencing - fever and weight loss are among the top things you ask when doing a "review of systems" for a history + physical.
While a normal person physical normally doesn't entail much blood work, sources online say NFL physicals often do. You could also catch lymphoma on blood work as lymphocytes would be elevated and if the disease had spread you'd also see decreased platelets and red blood cells.
So even for a normal person - swollen lymph nodes should be caught on physical, which should prompt questions about fevers/night sweats/weight loss, which if positive would probably prompt a CBC + lymph node biopsy, even though you probably don't get blood work in a routine physical.
FYI - if you have a persistently swollen lymph node, get it checked out! Many types of cancer originate in, or spread first to lymph nodes.
Source: med student on my hematology block
I cannot stress this enough that if you have a persistent swollen lymph node to see a doctor. I know it’s scary. I did not see a doctor for about two months after I felt my lymph node in my neck because I was terrified and knew deep down the moment I felt it. And it still took a year to diagnose as Hodgekin’s lymphoma. The node never deceased in size and I only got more and more enlarged nodes in my neck over that year.
I promise you that even if you get the worst news, that it’s cancer you will be relieved to finally have an answer instead of being terrified of what it could be every day that you don’t go to the doctor out of fear.
this is great info. so so many people don’t understand how important a yearly physical is- first to establish a baseline, then to make sure nothing is deviating too much. appreciate you sharing your knowledge! have you chosen an area of concentration yet?
Some factors will always matter—like catching it early, being in good health outside the cancer (ie not being obese, not having other major health issues), genetics. Sounds like at least those first two might be working in his favor. Age helps for some forms of cancer but I can’t speak to this one.
I think this treatment is pretty standard so having more money doesn’t directly matter (you won’t get better treatment other than a nicer facility to do chemo in), but it’ll always indirectly mean you have a little less stress while dealing with cancer which I’d assume (but don’t know for sure) would help. You can afford healthier food, more in-home help if needed (like someone to clean, someone to help cook), and you’re just generally not as stressed about finances of course.
I’d assume he’s going to be on the higher end of success chances due to his healthy, catching it early, and hopefully not needing to stress about finances too much while going through treatment. It’s never a guarantee tho and even if he has immediate success he’ll still have to deal with a horrible and awful treatment (chemo sucks!).
Specifically what I read was that It's dependent on the way it spreads.
If the cancer spreads regionally, the 5-year survival rate is 94%. If the cancer has spread to different parts of the body, the 5-year survival rate is 82%.
I think it's safe to assume the quality of care increases chance of survival but I am in no way qualified to tell you how much
I have worked in medical imaging at a pretty broad spectrum of hospital quality. I’ve seen a lot of lymphoma scans where it looks like the patient should be dead because there’s cancer everywhere, then they return in 6 months and their scan is clean/nearly clean. Obviously everyone is different, but lymphoma spreads pretty aggressively but is extremely responsive to treatment.
The one that sticks out to me is Jon Dorenbos.
In 2017, the Eagles traded him to the Saints right before the season. While doing a routine physical as part of the process they discovered an aortic aneurysm. One wrong hit would have killed him.
They go through physicals before camp as well so likely it gets detected at some point soon but catching it weeks and months sooner is obviously better
Doubt it, dont you only to physicals to verify someones health? Raiders would already know about his physical health(obviously not the condition but still)
You do physicals yearly so they would have caught it before training camp or as training camp starts. Happens in every organization I’ve been apart in with college athletics. Doubt the NFL of all places is any different
They have insurance available through the NFLPA, so I would bet any free agent either has coverage still active through that plan or COBRA. I dont believe individual teams would administer their own insurance plans for players when the NFLPA could do the admin for the whole league and all players, practice squad players, recent FAs, etc.
His story is so crazy to me...lymphoma is pretty easy to catch in lab tests and even physical exam/routine imaging. Didn't Levert have renal cell carcinoma? I wonder if he had blood in his urine or something.
Somehow I didn’t realize this, and my favorite team is the Cavs and I live in the same fucking town Caris grew up in. His HS is 1/4 of a mile away. I can literally see it from my bedroom window. How in the world?
Anyways props to him! And hopefully Foster can crush this as well.
Saints alone have found life-threatening issues with Nick Fairley, Jon Dorenbos, and now Foster Moreau.
Ironic considering how injured of a team we've been for two years.
Eric Berry was extra out of breath after a game. Got it looked at by the Chiefs medical staff.... Also Hodgkins Lymphoma.
Chemo in December, back on the field the next season.
All the best to Foster.
Yeah that’s a good shout. In the six years since the Dorenbos trade it feels like it’s been pretty rough sailing though, at least in terms of keeping players on the field, for the Saints medical guys.
I think fans put too much stock in this. Your medical professionals can't really keep you from tearing an ACL or whatever, and they can't really do much force it to heal any faster than the body can naturally heal it.
If your team is having trouble keeping people on the field I'd worry more about strength and conditioning, but even then there's only so much people can do. It's a violent sport and sometimes people just get hurt. Sometimes teams have a string of bad luck.
Their internist made all those diagnoses. The orthopedics team on the other hand has had the turmoil. They left Ochsner after Breaux and Lewis but obviously still had problems with Thomas.
Crazy shit is the Saints medical staff caught an aortic aneurysm in Jon Dorenbos the Eagles staff didn’t notice, saved his life too.
So they’re pretty fucking on point medical wise down there in New Orleans.
Have to think it’s early detection because if not yikes
Also do NFL teams do routine blood work like the Mavs? Feel like more sports teams should do thag
Is the blood work any different than what you should be getting yearly at your physician? If not, c'mon, gotta take some responsibility for your own health and go to the doctor once a year.
I think you need to be looking for it. My son was diagnosed with leukemia, obviously a different cancer than lymphoma, but it took a 2nd blood test to detect it.
And I know the blood test for prostate cancer is a different test as well.
It’s also a lot easier to say to go to a doctor when it’s not you. It can be absolutely terrifying when you notice something is very wrong and it can be paralyzing which stops you from going to the doctor for fear of the worst.
Never understood that mindset. If it is the worst it's going to be the worst whether you go to the doctor or not. You can only benefit from going to the doctor as soon as you notice something. Early prevention and being able to get your affairs in order.
It’s easier said than done. Intellectually yeah, what you said make perfect sense. Fear is a crippling thing though. I hope you never have to go through it because fear doesn’t always make sense or play by logical rules.
It has happened to me. Blood in stool. 4 days later I'm getting an endoscopy and colonoscopy. Nothing cancerous but they found 4 polyps. Doctor wrote it off as a fluke. If I wasn't proactive I wouldn't have caught those polyps for at least another 5 years, most likely 10.
Pat mcafee has been open that they get it for 5 years away from football, so he will still be covered. I don’t think he needs to actually retire to step away and can stay “active” knowing no team is going to pick him up for the 5 years too if he decides to return.
I'm 32 and got diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer at the beginning of this year.My heart goes out to Foster. One day you think your Ok and the next your whole life changes. Wishing him a speedy recovery
Same diagnosis for my girlfriend. She’s 25 and currently has two remaining sessions and her cancer was near untraceable around her 7th (out of 12) treatments. She is on a week on week off regiment and her off weeks she is mobile and active. I’d image Foster will be fine but he’ll be out for around 8-10 months with the assumption of no further complications. This cancer is by no means 100% curable but it is extremely treatable and would imagine his career isn’t over. Wishing him the best as I know some hard days are coming. I took classes with foster and wish him nothing but the best! He has a phenomenal chance of recovery and I expect he’ll be back in pads in a year!
Good luck to him. My wife had Hodgkin's back when we first started dating. She was 21 I believe, when diagnosed. Few years of battling but been cancer free for 10 years
Hell yeah, caught it early, that's fantastic news.
Eric Berry had that and got treatment then returned to football. No reason Foster can't do the same if he wants.
An ex girlfriend had that.
When we first got diagnosed she had some form of cancer we were devasted. Really.
Especially because the stupid doctor gave us his initial diagnosis to carry it to another doctor and it more or less said that she might have one of the most aggressive tumors out there - with little chance of survival and a hard hard way to deal with it.
Then they told us, that its a morbus hodgkin's lymphoma and at her age 23, it's 98% cureable and usually only takes 6 months, I was completely relieved. Not so my girlfriend. Apparently she had held out hope that it would be nothing at all.
That somehow caused a huge rift - I treated it as an nasty disease we have to deal with, she as she would lose her life for sure.
Went different ways a few months later.
She cut her hair because she expected to lose it and then had almost no repurcussions from the treatment and was through in 5 months and back to perfectly normal after 9-12.
I was upset we let him go but happy he signed with the saints and now even happier he was able to catch it due to the circumstances. Hope for a full recovery
Damn man. That’s tough.
As a Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivor myself (obviously every case is different - I had stage 2) there is a very very good chance that Foster can come back and play football again. My course of treatment was around 6 months of chemo and was lucky enough to practically immediately be able to restart a normal life after that
I’m glad to hear you’re healthy now. Hopefully the road to recovery is similar for him.
Thank you! Also worth noting that if they found it during a physical it’s a higher chance of being stage 1, etc. if he wasn’t showing symptoms (always get weird shit checked out by a doc if you’ve got no explanation)
What were your symptoms that lead to the discovery and how did they discover it?
Inflamed lymph nodes in my clavicle region and for whatever reason, incredibly itchy elbows. I also had a cold that wouldn’t go away seemingly which is why I ended up going to the doctor
Yep, cold like symptoms that aren’t going away is a common way it gets picked up. And also keep kicking cancers butt 👍
Same here. One of my clavicles was no longer really indented… but instead a little puffy. I was stage 2 as well. Had a similar treatment plan to you it sounds like. Had to do a couple weeks of radiation too. Been doing good for the past 4 plus years. Best wishes to you and Foster!
Just hit my 5 year mark not too long ago! Keep on trucking!
Just had to get checked for this. Ultrasound of the armpits, CT scan, and tons of blood work. Conclusion: not cancer! So why are my lymph nodes swollen? Nobody fucking knows, but it's not cancer!
Did they do a biopsy?
No. Based on my blood work, CT, and the fact I have no other symptoms, both doctors I was seeing deemed that unnecessary. My total lymphocytes were low and apparently the CT showed that most of the swollen nodes had gone down, all except the two annoying fuckers in my left armpit. They figure it is likely bacterial or viral remnants clearing from my lymph system.
Sounds like just a touch of bubonic plague.
Just anecdotal, but I’ve had swollen lymph nodes in my neck ever since I caught COVID. Same as you all my bloodwork came back clean.
Ah, glad to hear you’re good!
I had a lymph node in my neck swell back when I was a teenager during a bad cold and it just...never went back down. It's been "swollen" for like 15 years now and I've had 5 doctors all say it's nothing. So it apparently happens - all I know is it's not a lipoma and there's never been concern of cancer.
Doc I worked with always taught me to feel the clavicles when doing a physical exam. Nodules there are always bad news bears
I also had stage two Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I was considered asymptomatic. I had enlarged lymph nodes in the left side of my neck. That’s why I got checked out initially even though it took a year to diagnose me.
How did you eventually get diagnosed?
I had two ultrasounds. They then did a needle biopsy that was inconclusive. The nodes just continued to be enlarged and I was getting more and more of them in my neck. I finally saw an ear, nose and throat doctor and he did a full biopsy by taking out an enlarged lymph node.
I want to add this just in case others may have this symptom. Alcohol intolerance. It’s not a common one that is discussed, but it can happen. I would have a few sips of beer and within 15 minutes I had such severe pain that it felt like I was being stabbed in the back. Multiple doctors appointments later turns out it was Hodgkin’s Lymph.
I think James Connor is an nfl player who had it and was also able to come back to playing
James Conner did. Eric Barry did as well and was the comeback player of the year and AP All-pro after going through treatment.
It still blows my mind that Eric Berry *gained* a pound while doing chemotherapy. I know she didn't actually lose that much, but it felt like my mom shrunk nearly in half during two rounds of chemo.
There's also different chemo drugs and treatment plans for different cancers. During my 4 months of chemo I gained every bit of 20lbs. Didn't eat at all during the chemo week but during the rest weeks there was nothing to do but eat
Yeah, it really puts it into perspective how "different" some people are. Dude was working out harder than 99% of the population while going through chemo. Then came back and was more athletic than 99.999% of the population.
This this and this. Only you know your body, no one else. If something feels off get it checked. And if you don’t feel comfortable with doctor diagnosis, get a second opinion.
My 17 year old cousin had stage 4 and just finished the last round of chemo. It sucks seeing people go through that shit but she’s already bouncing back like crazy
Glad you’re still with us my dude. I bet it was a bitch. ❤️
My mom was just told yesterday that they’re 95% sure she has breast cancer but she has to get another test to confirm with 100% certainty (though they were saying how they “caught it early enough,” which is enough to tell me they already know 100%) and I know it’s a different cancer and like you said every case is different but Foster Moreau got me feeling some kinda way and your comment made me feel a little bit better so thank you.
Stay strong my friend! Cancer treatments have come a loooong way and that includes breast cancer.
Hey man, my mom got breast cancer like 7 years ago. I cried at work the day my parents told me. It was a stressful time, no doubt, but my mom went through chemo and eventually got a mastectomy and reconstruction and she's cancer-free now. You'd never even know what she went through by looking at her today, the only thing that changed was that her hair grew back more gray than before, but she was in her mid 50s so it was about that time anyway. My family actually got *closer* going through it, we got a little bit more of our "ICE" shit together, and I think it also made me appreciate what I have more. My family is amazing, and I didn't always think that when I was younger, but we all had each other's backs throughout the process and gave each other a lot of love. I don't think my mom's cancer was caught especially early, so I like your chances and I'm rooting for you guys. Give each other a lot of love and stay as positive and supportive as you can. Best of luck to you and your family <3
Thank you man❤️ I’m glad to hear such a positive story and that your mom got through it and is so healthy today. I really appreciate hearing such a positive experience.
My mom went through that a few years ago and it was rough, but she made it through like a trooper. Best wishes to your mom and family.
Thank you man I appreciate it, and I’m glad to hear your mom made it!
The good news is that if they aren't sure and they think they caught it pretty early, then it's almost certainly going to be relatively easy to treat. They definitely dont see it spread to anywhere else if that's what they have said, so I wouldnt be too worried right now even though it is scary as fuck.
Congratulations man! Same here. Stage two. 4 months of chemo and then a month of radiation. May 2nd will be a year since my treatment ended. I’m good to go. EDIT - ironically enough I scheduled my surgery for my port to come out today.
Glad you're okay. My uncle got Hodgkins lymphoma when he was 29 and died of it at 40. For whatever reason, even though it's one of the most treatable cancers and he was super young when he got it, his case was particularly tenacious.
Damn man. I’m super sorry to hear that. Hope you’re doing well.
Thanks. This was almost 20 years ago now, but yeah, still shitty
>he was super young when he got it Not all cancers happen in old people, which is something more people should know. I've seen plenty of people who ignored symptoms for too long because they figured they were young and couldn't get diseases like this. Hodgkins lymphoma is most common in people aged 15-35.
Absolutely. I was just saying that mortality rates increase with age, so dying at that age of a very curable cancer was unusual, not that it was odd that he got it.
My brother had stage 4 Hodgkin's when they discovered it in *1992*. I'm just saying, if they could get his into remission way the hell back then (took a year of some pretty harsh chemo) and he went on to live a full, healthy life and even had a kid (was 29 when discovered). Unfortunately, he passed of a stroke this last year, but he got 30 more good years after his treatment and the stroke had nothing to do with Hodgkin's. This early stage diagnosis shouldn't be a problem for Foster.
Isn't this what Eric Berry had as well? Not saying any cancer is easy. But prayers for Foster.
Not to downplay cancer but I had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and I feel like I played cancer on easy mode when you look at what other people have gone through.
Yep. My doctor straight up told me “congrats, you’ve got the good cancer” when I got my diagnosis lmao because it’s one of the most “easily” treatable forms
Or as Larry David would put it “the good hodgkins “
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas can be much worse, especially something like Burkitt's or later staged ENKTCL-NT. For treatment, the regimes like EPOCH-R or something tend to be hellacious.
Can confirm, had Burkitt's
Mario Lemieux as well
My wife had stage 4 at 16. St. Jude was huge and still does checks on her, but she is living a normal life now. It's crazy how far we have come in treatments and they are still advancing.
David Brooks, a PL soccer player, recently came back from Hodgkins after 2 years. They are literally the opposite in terms of physicality though, so I guess we’ll see
Jon Lester was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in his rookie season and was back midway through the next season. He went on to play for another 13 seasons during which he was a 5x All-Star.
What symptoms did you have to make you realize something was off? Then subsequently What test was it that led to your diagnosis?
Inflamed lymph nodes in my clavicle region and for whatever reason, incredibly itchy elbows. I also had a cold that wouldn’t go away seemingly which is why I ended up going to the doctor First tests were blood tests and they saw my numbers were wack. But then the only way to really tell is a biopsy
I had a friend with hodgekins lymphoma it’s one of the only truly “curable” cancers… glad to hear you’re ok hopefully foster will be too.
You’re the man my dude
Yeah, so,.... as we say, FUCK Kansas City, but glad you are doing well!
Hodgkin's has a much better survival rate than non-hodgkins. Non is MUCH more aggressive and usually caught in stage 3 on its way to stage 4. Decent change of a long happy life for you and Foster. God bless.
Bittersweet, the end to your football career but the beginning of your new life(one which you still get to live)
Eric Berry had Hodgkins Lymphoma discovered in December, had chemo in the offseason, and was back the following year. Sounds like they caught it early so very possible Moreau returns to football https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Berry Edit: According to the Wikipedia page (look at 2014-2015), he was diagnosed early December and cleared to play by late July the following year, so approximately 8 months
Eric Berry will always be one of the toughest MFers alive for refusing to give up working out while going through chemo.
My oncologist would routinely mention another one of his patients with HL to me that went to the gym every day during his treatment. Don’t worry, he did not tell me his name or anything.
Why would I worry if he told you his name
Because then my doctor would be in violation of HIPAA regulations.
I don't work for HIPAA so all good on my end
A powerlifter I follow suffered a bilateral quad tear and was back to squatting 730 less than a year later. Some of these guys are driven beyond belief and it's always incredible to watch those journeys unfold.
Lance Armstrong did the same thing, and while he was obviously also on PEDs, he talked a lot in his book about how the exercise helped him through chemo.
Bro I have his jersey and wear it proud all the time. Love the guy.
Jon Lester was diagnosed with large cell lymphoma in August 2006 and was back pitching by July 2007. Then went on to win 3 World Series (and broke the Cubs' curse).
James Conner had it too
"That being said, I’ll go kick this thing’s ass and get back to doing what I love! AMDG!" Doesn't sound like he's quitting football
This doesn’t have to end his career. He may even play this season. James Conner had HL.
Plenty if athletes come back after getting treated with lymphoma, it is not necessarily the end of his career
Most athletes aren't Lemieux or Eric Berry and come back to destroy the league after chemotherapy.
Carlos Carassco had leukemia and has since returned to the league. He was never an elite pitcher but he is still serviceable.
Man that’s shitty but a blessing in disguise. Wish him nothing but the best!
It's gotta be such a difficult thing to contend with. Like being diagnosed with cancer must be devastating, but having it caught in a physical for work, rather than once symptoms and signs start showing, could be a bit relieving
Is that something that would come up in a normal physical or just super crazy pro athlete physicals?
I have no idea. It looks like (as a layman, not a doctor or any sort of expert) the primary presenting symptom is swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpits, and groin. As such, I would think any standard physical would at least catch the swollen lymph nodes and prompt further testing?
You are correct. A routine physical would surely set off red flags for any doctor worth his pay check if he had enlarged nodes in the neck or under arms.
In my experience most work physicals just check if you can lift and bend, so I doubt they'd catch lymph node enlargement. Obviously physicals for professional athletes are much more thorough.
Most likely there was some change between his physicals. He probably would have had an exit physical to deal with any potential injury payout/settlement issues from his old team.
Your CBC that you should have done once a year at a physical will tell your blood cell count, which is likely how they found it after running more tests. Prayers for Foster.
Not sure what a pro athlete physical entails, but Hodgkin Lymphoma tends to present with swollen lymph nodes (especially in the neck) and fever, weight loss, and night sweats. In a normal physical a careful doc would feel lymph nodes in the head and neck and should ask you about any major symptoms you've been experiencing - fever and weight loss are among the top things you ask when doing a "review of systems" for a history + physical. While a normal person physical normally doesn't entail much blood work, sources online say NFL physicals often do. You could also catch lymphoma on blood work as lymphocytes would be elevated and if the disease had spread you'd also see decreased platelets and red blood cells. So even for a normal person - swollen lymph nodes should be caught on physical, which should prompt questions about fevers/night sweats/weight loss, which if positive would probably prompt a CBC + lymph node biopsy, even though you probably don't get blood work in a routine physical. FYI - if you have a persistently swollen lymph node, get it checked out! Many types of cancer originate in, or spread first to lymph nodes. Source: med student on my hematology block
I cannot stress this enough that if you have a persistent swollen lymph node to see a doctor. I know it’s scary. I did not see a doctor for about two months after I felt my lymph node in my neck because I was terrified and knew deep down the moment I felt it. And it still took a year to diagnose as Hodgekin’s lymphoma. The node never deceased in size and I only got more and more enlarged nodes in my neck over that year. I promise you that even if you get the worst news, that it’s cancer you will be relieved to finally have an answer instead of being terrified of what it could be every day that you don’t go to the doctor out of fear.
this is great info. so so many people don’t understand how important a yearly physical is- first to establish a baseline, then to make sure nothing is deviating too much. appreciate you sharing your knowledge! have you chosen an area of concentration yet?
Interested in ENT/head and neck surgery as well as oncology! About to start clinical rotations which I'm so excited for! Are you in medicine?
They probably noticed enlarged lymph nodes which set off red flags. A routine physical would pick up enlarged nodes.
Being diagnosed with the variety we are currently best at treating is the silver lining on a very dark cloud.
Huh. Free agency might have saved a dudes life. Good to see it got detected. Hope it’s treatable.
>Hope it’s treatable. Thankfully Hodgkins Lymphoma has an 80% - 90% survival rate
[So, he got the good Hodgkins? ](https://youtu.be/Zd-AEkvmg54) ^(please don't murder me, its just a quote from Curb)
I didn’t know there was a good Hodgkins
Well, compared to the other it's good
Is that 80%-90% dependent on luck or quality of care? If you have the best treatment in the world, is the chance closer to 95%? 98%? Scary either way
Some factors will always matter—like catching it early, being in good health outside the cancer (ie not being obese, not having other major health issues), genetics. Sounds like at least those first two might be working in his favor. Age helps for some forms of cancer but I can’t speak to this one. I think this treatment is pretty standard so having more money doesn’t directly matter (you won’t get better treatment other than a nicer facility to do chemo in), but it’ll always indirectly mean you have a little less stress while dealing with cancer which I’d assume (but don’t know for sure) would help. You can afford healthier food, more in-home help if needed (like someone to clean, someone to help cook), and you’re just generally not as stressed about finances of course. I’d assume he’s going to be on the higher end of success chances due to his healthy, catching it early, and hopefully not needing to stress about finances too much while going through treatment. It’s never a guarantee tho and even if he has immediate success he’ll still have to deal with a horrible and awful treatment (chemo sucks!).
Pretty terrifying that you still have a 1/10 chance of dying
You actually have a 10/10 chance of dying
I like those odds.
Specifically what I read was that It's dependent on the way it spreads. If the cancer spreads regionally, the 5-year survival rate is 94%. If the cancer has spread to different parts of the body, the 5-year survival rate is 82%. I think it's safe to assume the quality of care increases chance of survival but I am in no way qualified to tell you how much
IDK what stage he is but stage two is 92% five year survival. It’s the first cancer they ever cured.
I have worked in medical imaging at a pretty broad spectrum of hospital quality. I’ve seen a lot of lymphoma scans where it looks like the patient should be dead because there’s cancer everywhere, then they return in 6 months and their scan is clean/nearly clean. Obviously everyone is different, but lymphoma spreads pretty aggressively but is extremely responsive to treatment.
it's one of the most treatable cancers fortunately. well, as fortunate as having cancer gets
Indeed it is.
The one that sticks out to me is Jon Dorenbos. In 2017, the Eagles traded him to the Saints right before the season. While doing a routine physical as part of the process they discovered an aortic aneurysm. One wrong hit would have killed him.
This was actually the same doctor who discovered it
A few years back when the nets traded Caris Levert, they found cancer on his kidney and were able to remove it. Wild stuff.
Honestly, what if the raiders had re-signed him
I think they still go thru a physical for extensions and re-signings, don't they?
They go through physicals before camp as well so likely it gets detected at some point soon but catching it weeks and months sooner is obviously better
Doubt it, dont you only to physicals to verify someones health? Raiders would already know about his physical health(obviously not the condition but still)
You do physicals yearly so they would have caught it before training camp or as training camp starts. Happens in every organization I’ve been apart in with college athletics. Doubt the NFL of all places is any different
I wonder if he has health insurance now that he isn't on a team, and if he does, how long it'll last
They have insurance available through the NFLPA, so I would bet any free agent either has coverage still active through that plan or COBRA. I dont believe individual teams would administer their own insurance plans for players when the NFLPA could do the admin for the whole league and all players, practice squad players, recent FAs, etc.
The Harden to Brooklyn trade probably saved Chris Lavert’s life too. Wild to think about it.
Reminds me of John Dorenbos a few years ago. Glad they found it
I thought of Caris Levert
yea that's what I thought of
His story is so crazy to me...lymphoma is pretty easy to catch in lab tests and even physical exam/routine imaging. Didn't Levert have renal cell carcinoma? I wonder if he had blood in his urine or something.
Somehow I didn’t realize this, and my favorite team is the Cavs and I live in the same fucking town Caris grew up in. His HS is 1/4 of a mile away. I can literally see it from my bedroom window. How in the world? Anyways props to him! And hopefully Foster can crush this as well.
Saints alone have found life-threatening issues with Nick Fairley, Jon Dorenbos, and now Foster Moreau. Ironic considering how injured of a team we've been for two years.
Saints trainers: we will save your life if you have something potentially life threatening, but anything short of that, walk it off
So the question is are your medical staff more thorough or are you somehow attracted to free agents/trades in mortal peril?
Eric Berry was extra out of breath after a game. Got it looked at by the Chiefs medical staff.... Also Hodgkins Lymphoma. Chemo in December, back on the field the next season. All the best to Foster.
Caris lavert as well.
Jerome Harrison also
Reminded me of James Conner. Thankfully, he beat it. With any luck Foster will too.
Also Trent Williams with the Commanders
Great it was caught early
This is basically the most treatable cancer, its very possible he could be back in playing shape by next year
It’s possible he could play this year.
Hopefully Foster can kick it’s ass and get back to football soon. Rare W for the Saints medical team.
I feel like it's not that rare. They also saved Jon Dorenbos' life when they found an aortic aneurysm after we traded him to New Orleans.
Yep. Absolutely amazing that it's happened a third time with our team in such a short span of time.
Yeah that’s a good shout. In the six years since the Dorenbos trade it feels like it’s been pretty rough sailing though, at least in terms of keeping players on the field, for the Saints medical guys.
I think fans put too much stock in this. Your medical professionals can't really keep you from tearing an ACL or whatever, and they can't really do much force it to heal any faster than the body can naturally heal it. If your team is having trouble keeping people on the field I'd worry more about strength and conditioning, but even then there's only so much people can do. It's a violent sport and sometimes people just get hurt. Sometimes teams have a string of bad luck.
Their internist made all those diagnoses. The orthopedics team on the other hand has had the turmoil. They left Ochsner after Breaux and Lewis but obviously still had problems with Thomas.
Pelicans as well
Yeah Oschner was a mess. I’m glad they went away from that organisation but it doesn’t seem like the results are improving dramatically
An damn that is an absolute bummer
Raiders Medical Staff: 👀
Crazy shit is the Saints medical staff caught an aortic aneurysm in Jon Dorenbos the Eagles staff didn’t notice, saved his life too. So they’re pretty fucking on point medical wise down there in New Orleans.
Caught a heart issue that Nick Fairley had as well.
I'm gonna try to walk on, just for the medical
Have to think it’s early detection because if not yikes Also do NFL teams do routine blood work like the Mavs? Feel like more sports teams should do thag
Is the blood work any different than what you should be getting yearly at your physician? If not, c'mon, gotta take some responsibility for your own health and go to the doctor once a year.
I think you need to be looking for it. My son was diagnosed with leukemia, obviously a different cancer than lymphoma, but it took a 2nd blood test to detect it. And I know the blood test for prostate cancer is a different test as well.
It’s also a lot easier to say to go to a doctor when it’s not you. It can be absolutely terrifying when you notice something is very wrong and it can be paralyzing which stops you from going to the doctor for fear of the worst.
Never understood that mindset. If it is the worst it's going to be the worst whether you go to the doctor or not. You can only benefit from going to the doctor as soon as you notice something. Early prevention and being able to get your affairs in order.
It’s easier said than done. Intellectually yeah, what you said make perfect sense. Fear is a crippling thing though. I hope you never have to go through it because fear doesn’t always make sense or play by logical rules.
It has happened to me. Blood in stool. 4 days later I'm getting an endoscopy and colonoscopy. Nothing cancerous but they found 4 polyps. Doctor wrote it off as a fluke. If I wasn't proactive I wouldn't have caught those polyps for at least another 5 years, most likely 10.
Fear isn’t always rational
I’m sure that in those instances it is
Happy accident in a way that they found it, best of luck to him.
Does NFL health care cover him?
Pretty sure retired players get insurance atleast, but I don’t know if they’ll foot the bill
Pat mcafee has been open that they get it for 5 years away from football, so he will still be covered. I don’t think he needs to actually retire to step away and can stay “active” knowing no team is going to pick him up for the 5 years too if he decides to return.
Mark Davis will find a way if the league doesn't, I'm sure of it.
"Once a Raider, always a Raider" *One of many things Al Davis did right.*
Facts
I'm 32 and got diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer at the beginning of this year.My heart goes out to Foster. One day you think your Ok and the next your whole life changes. Wishing him a speedy recovery
How’s treatment going ? Stay strong
Surgery went great, Doing chemo now. 4 down out of 12. Chemotherapy is tough man. I'm gonna get through it but it's definitely a battle.
Yea those regimens are rough , but keep up the good fight. dm me is you ever have any questions
Same diagnosis for my girlfriend. She’s 25 and currently has two remaining sessions and her cancer was near untraceable around her 7th (out of 12) treatments. She is on a week on week off regiment and her off weeks she is mobile and active. I’d image Foster will be fine but he’ll be out for around 8-10 months with the assumption of no further complications. This cancer is by no means 100% curable but it is extremely treatable and would imagine his career isn’t over. Wishing him the best as I know some hard days are coming. I took classes with foster and wish him nothing but the best! He has a phenomenal chance of recovery and I expect he’ll be back in pads in a year!
Wasn’t it the Saints that saved Jon Dorenbos via a routine physical too? Saints out there living up to their name.
Kinda makes you wonder how many people are in a similar situation but won’t find out in time. Get your yearly checkups if you can.
Hope he beats this like a LB on a crossing route
One thing all of us can agree on - fuck cancer
Good luck to him. My wife had Hodgkin's back when we first started dating. She was 21 I believe, when diagnosed. Few years of battling but been cancer free for 10 years
Fuck cancer
Shout out to Boosie
#F CANCER
Isn’t this the second time that the Saints have found something like this?
Third, at least. Jon Dorenbos and Nick Fairley had major issues uncovered as well.
Wow. Don’t even care about him signing with the Bengals anymore, just hope he ends up okay.
Hell yeah, caught it early, that's fantastic news. Eric Berry had that and got treatment then returned to football. No reason Foster can't do the same if he wants.
Always and forever, cancer can go fuck itself
Kick cancers ass, Foster!
Hope he crushes it like Berry or Lemieux did.
An ex girlfriend had that. When we first got diagnosed she had some form of cancer we were devasted. Really. Especially because the stupid doctor gave us his initial diagnosis to carry it to another doctor and it more or less said that she might have one of the most aggressive tumors out there - with little chance of survival and a hard hard way to deal with it. Then they told us, that its a morbus hodgkin's lymphoma and at her age 23, it's 98% cureable and usually only takes 6 months, I was completely relieved. Not so my girlfriend. Apparently she had held out hope that it would be nothing at all. That somehow caused a huge rift - I treated it as an nasty disease we have to deal with, she as she would lose her life for sure. Went different ways a few months later. She cut her hair because she expected to lose it and then had almost no repurcussions from the treatment and was through in 5 months and back to perfectly normal after 9-12.
Fuck cancer.
Oh shit. GWS, Foster!
Pulling for him, he will be missed on the field
Anyone know how it can be found during a routine physical? Blood test? Blood pressure? X-ray?
depending on what lymph node is enlarged, an x-ray or cat scan can find it.
Oh wow. This is alarming
Wow. Crazy way to find out. I hope he kicks cancer's ass 💪
This reminds me of Jon Dorenbos going to the saints
I was upset we let him go but happy he signed with the saints and now even happier he was able to catch it due to the circumstances. Hope for a full recovery
Best of luck to him. That is one enemy we can all cheer against
bro… 😔😔😔
Man fuck cancer.
Fuck cancer. Kick it’s ass Foster
Holy shit
💔💔💔
Damn this is the 2nd time I remember this happening to an athlete. Happened to Caris Levert too
Everyone needs to take this as a reminder to get your annual checkup.
Are players not getting a physical every year? Seems like it should be mandatory given the nature of the sport.