Tennessee guard Chris Lofton is revealing publicly for the first time what he learned just after he played in the 2007 Sweet Sixteen: He had testicular cancer.In an interview with ESPN.com, Lofton reveals that an NCAA drug test during the 2007 Tournament revealed that he could have cancer, and that he learned of the diagnosis after Tennessee's season-ending loss to Ohio State. Six days after playing in that game, he underwent surgery. He spent the off-season recovering, and then played the entire 2007-08 season. Only one teammate knew.
"It's the hardest thing I've ever had to go through, but I know now there's nothing out there I can't overcome," Lofton told ESPN.com. "I wanted to deal with it on my terms because I didn't want it being a distraction for our team. I knew if it came out, everything would change. I didn't want it that way."
Now, 14 months after his initial diagnosis Lofton is completely healthy, and he has his sights set on the NBA.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-02-2008 @ 2:11PM
Ed said...
As a Memphis Tiger fan, I loathe the vols.The vols fans are classless jerks. So much so that the majority of their fans rejoiced in Kansas' victory.
But I have a ton of new respect for Mr Lofton. I call him "Mr" because he has proven himself to be a full-grown man. I wish him and his family the best of luck and I hope he never has to face anything like this again.
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5-02-2008 @ 2:56PM
August West said...
I'm a Vandy fan and second Ed's loathing of that god-awful school, but Lofton's story is simply amazing and a testament to his ability to persevere.
The strength it must have taken not to say anything is unbelievable, because his poor start to the year was a huge story in eastern and middle TN.
I hope he stays cancer free, and he's one hell of a man in my book for how he has handled this... still glad UT lost, though.
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5-03-2008 @ 2:39PM
mdeand said...
Three cheers for Chris Lofton for the remarkable way he has dealt with this. As odd as it may sound, as time passes he will look upon the blessings of this experience, namely, how his view of what is important in life has changed. His family and his friends will all have greater signficance to him. Each moment, regardless of wins or losses, will have greater value. Best wishes to him in the future.
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5-12-2008 @ 3:27PM
jim pertuset said...
Any NBA team already knows what Chris Lofton can do on the floor to help his team win.Even if he would have taken his senior year off.But now we find out he had to fight cancer all year long and still lead his team in scoring and thier first number one ranking in school history as well as a 31 game win season also thier first.How much more heart could you ask for? I will be happy for the NBA team who gets lucky enough to add him on thier team.
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