If you need a break from the NCAA tournament this fine Friday, the Penn Stater, Penn State’s alumni magazine, has the fantastic story of a former walk-on, who is currently battling cancer.
Marshall Lefferts, an offensive lineman from Dallas, walked on at Penn State last summer and had visions of redshirting while he got stronger and bigger to keep up with the grind of the FBS. However, in the fall, Lefferts started feeling tired even after mundane activities.
“I had no energy,” Lefferts told the Penn Stater football blog. “I would go to class, come back to my room, and sleep all day.”
In mid-November, blood tests showed low numbers for his platelets and white blood cells, and ultimately he was diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). This form of leukemia, however, has a 85-90 percent survival rate and Lefferts has been living up to those odds.
“It sucked at the time to put football on hold,” Lefferts said, “but if that hadn’t happened, I probably would’ve died. The doctors told me, ‘One hit would’ve killed you.'”
Lefferts’ spring schedule has consisted of working out in the morning and chemotherapy in the afternoon. He said the chemotherapy left him exhausted for a few hours, so doing it in the afternoon meant he can be rested for the gym in the morning. His most recent blood test showed no sign of the cancer, which meant a month off from chemo. However, he’ll resume treatments after that.
Lefferts’ doctors said he could probably return to the field in August if he continued to make positive progress. However, he probably won’t be returning to Penn State. He said he’s likely going to stay closer to family either in Dallas where his mother lives or in California with his father.
“My ultimate goal is to play somewhere. I don’t know if it’ll be at the level of Penn State, but it’s a big priority for me,” he says. “At the same time, my No. 1 priority is getting a great education, and I know I would’ve gotten a phenomenal education at Penn State.”
For more Penn State news, visit BlueandWhiteIllustrated.com.
Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
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