NFL player returns to practice after missing rookie season for leukemia treatment

Alabama wide receiver John Metchie III carries the ball during a game against Auburn on Nov. 27, 2021.

Alabama broad receiver John Metchie III (8) carries the ball towards Auburn throughout an NCAA school soccer recreation Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021, in Auburn, Ala.

Butch Dill, Related Press

After lacking his whole rookie season with leukemia, Houston Texans broad receiver John Metchie III is making his return to the NFL.

The Texans drafted Metchie within the second spherical of the 2022 NFL draft. Three months later, he was identified with acute promyelocytic leukemia.

The prognosis got here whereas he was rehabbing from a torn ACL he sustained within the SEC championship recreation. On the time of his prognosis, then-Texans head coach Lovie Smith pledged the crew’s help.

“We’re going to be there each step of the best way with him,” he stated, in response to CBS Sports activities. “Finally, he'll get again on the market with our soccer crew, and we will’t look ahead to that.”

Smith’s prediction was proper. 9 months later, Metchie was catching passes on the observe discipline.

Two weeks in the past, new Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans gave an replace on Metchie’s standing and stated the previous Alabama receiver can be figuring out throughout the crew’s offseason program, Professional Soccer Discuss reported.

“Yeah, John (Metchie) is doing fantastic,” he stated. “We’ll see John get entangled with our offseason program. And with John, as with each different participant, we’re going to take it someday at a time and see the place he can develop and the place he may be when the time comes. On the proper time, when the season comes, we’ll see the place he's.”

What's acute promyelocytic leukemia?

Acute promyelocytic leukemia is a blood most cancers in which there's a rise in promyelocytes, a sort of white blood cells. This most cancers develops in 600 to 800 folks yearly within the U.S., in response to the Nationwide Group for Uncommon Problems.

Whereas he didn't deal with Metchie, Dr. Douglas Smith, a professor of oncology at Johns Hopkins College’s Sidney Kimmel Complete Care Middle, mentioned Metchie’s prognosis with Yahoo Sports activities final yr.

“It’s probably the most harmful type of acute leukemia within the first one to 2 months, however probably the most curable kind afterward,” he stated. “Sufferers with APL generally tend towards bleeding and clotting irregularly. … As soon as the bleeding drawback will get stabilized and the leukemia drawback will get underneath management, it's the most curable type of acute leukemia in adults.”

Produce other NFL gamers been identified with most cancers?

In March, free agent tight finish Foster Moreau was identified with Hodgkin lymphoma whereas present process a bodily throughout a free company go to with the New Orleans Saints, because the Deseret Information beforehand reported.

Moreau sat down with Michael Strahan from “Good Morning America” two weeks in the past to supply an replace on his well being.

“It’s at Stage 2, so it’s unfold from the preliminary location,” he stated. “However it seems to be a sluggish unfold, and we should always be capable to do away with all of it.”

The tight finish in contrast his prognosis and remedy to getting ready for recreation day.

“There’s no different means to have a look at it, proper?” he stated. “So I’m getting ready for my opponent, proper? Hodgkin’s lymphoma, chemotherapy, I’m getting ready for being on an IV, for six, seven, eight hours. No matter it takes, proper? As a result of I imply, there’s no different choice. There’s no choice.”

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