Jason Collinsthe first player in NBA history to come out as gay in 2016, is fighting for his life after being diagnosed a few months ago by a rapidly progressing brain cancerwhich puts his life in danger within a few weeks.
The former player revealed through a story published by ESPN who suffers from glioblastomaa type of brain cancer that is very aggressive and struggles to survive beyond the reduced prognosis that this tumor implies.
“A few months ago, my family released a brief statement saying I had a brain tumor. It was simple, but intentionally non-specific. They did this to protect my privacy while still I was mentally incapable of speaking for myself. and my loved ones were trying to understand what we were facing,” the 47-year-old said.
Initially, Collins downplayed these signs, but a computed tomography (CAT) scan confirmed the severity of his condition.
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Doctors informed him that glioblastoma multiforme was progressing so quickly that the disease could have been fatal within weeks without immediate intervention.
“I want people to hear from me directly now. I have one of the deadliest brain cancers. It came on incredibly quickly,” added Collins, who He played 830 games in the NBA with teams such as the New Jersey Nets, Memphis, Minnesota, Atlanta and Boston before retiring in 2014.
Jason Collins, former NBA player.
“The biopsy revealed that my glioblastoma had a growth factor of 30%, meaning that within a few weeks, if nothing was done, the tumor would run out of space and probably die within six weeks to three months,” he explained.
“The goal is to continue fighting tumor progression long enough for a personalized immunotherapy to be designed and to stay healthy enough to receive it once it is ready,” the American said.
“As my tumor is inoperable, opting only for standard treatment (radiotherapy and TMZ), the average prognosis is only 11 to 14 months. “If that’s all the time I have left, I’d rather spend it trying a treatment that could one day become the new standard treatment for everyone,” the former player explained.
“Something I’ve always been proud of is having the right people in my life. When I came out publicly as the first active gay basketball player in 2013I told several of my loved ones. “I wasn’t worried about the leak before the story broke, because I trusted the people I told it to.”
“And you know what? Nothing was leaked. I was able to tell my own story, the way I wanted. And I can now honestly say that the last 12 years have been the best years of my life..
Life is much better when you show yourself as you really are, without fear of being so, in public or in private. This is how I am. “This is what I’m dealing with,” the former NBA player concluded.
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