Phil Kessel fights medical condition
As many of you probably already know, the Boston Bruins rookie Phil Kessel is currently being treated for a medical condition unrelated to hockey. His family said this in a statement released to the press:
“Phil Kessel is being treated today for a medical issue not related to hockey,” the statement read. “At this time there is no further update on Phil’s condition. When there is an update, and it is appropriate to do so, we will update everyone on Phil’s health.”
A local Boston TV station reports that Kessel was seen in Masachussetts General Hospital. It has also been rumored, but not confirmed, that the young 19 year old player has testicular cancer.
Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli, when reached by the Globe at approximately 9 p.m., dismissed the notion that Kessel’s issues were drug- or alcohol-related, but when asked if he cared to address whether Kessel had been diagnosed with either testicular cancer or depression, Chiarelli offered only, “No, I don’t.”
“I just want to make it clear that it’s not drug- or alcohol-related,” Chiarelli said. “But out of respect for the family’s wishes, I can’t say more. Hopefully, we’ll get some clarity in short order, which could mean this week.
“We all were [surprised], personally and collectively. But this happens in all walks of life. Our thoughts and prayers are with Phil and his family. We’ll support him along the way and work our way through it.
“There’s a bunch of strong character guys on this team on and off the ice. Phil is a strong, young individual and he’s got a strong family. All those will be factors in getting him through this.”
Head coach (and former Wings coach) Dave Lewis had this to say about the ailing health of one of his players:
“The only thing I can say is that he’s not available for the trip,” coach Dave Lewis said. “He’s not coming on the trip and he won’t play. I’m not going to talk about Phil much more than that.”
If these reports turn out to be true, I am deeply saddened that someone so young, much less someone just starting their NHL career, has to fight something so terrible. Admittedly, testicular cancer (if caught early) is one of the ‘best’ cancers to get, but cancer is cancer. And it always blows me away that someone my age has cancer, you always imagine it to be diagnosed in much older individuals, but it really hits home when a talented and healthy young athlete is diagnosed.
I think almost everyone knows of someone close to them that has had cancer. My grandpa is currently battling bladder cancer and two of my other grandparents have beat (breast and prostate) cancer. When I was 16, one of my close guy friends was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin’s and has been in remission since his 3rd round of chemo. Cancer is a scary thing, but it can be beat and hopefully he’ll be able to resume his hockey career once he is in remission and healthy again. My prayers are definitely with the Kessel family.
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One Response to “Phil Kessel fights medical condition”
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December 12th, 2006 at 4:19 pm
So sad to hear of anyone with cancer
My Mom has had it and so has my Aunt. My prayers are with him and his family during this tough time.