Brave Texas Lineman Faces Illness
Throughout his football career, Texas sophomore defensive end Lance McFarland has been described as "tough", "hard-nosed" and "tireless".
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In the coming months, McFarland will use every bit of determination and fight that has made him a success on the football field, as he prepares for the biggest fight of his young life.
What is Hodgkin's Disease? |
Hodgkin's disease — also known as Hodgkin's lymphoma — is a rather uncommon cancer of the lymphatic system. It's named after the British physician, Thomas Hodgkin, who first described the disease in 1832 and noted several characteristics that distinguish it from other lymphomas. According to estimates done by The American Cancer Society, there will be about 7,600 new cases of Hodgkin's disease in the United States in 2003. An estimated 1,300 people will die of the disease, but thankfully better treatment has caused death rates to fall by more than half since the early 1970s. Hodgkin’s infects both children and adults, but it is most commonly found in persons ages 15-40 and older than 55. Treatment for most cases of the disease is very effective. American Cancer Society statistics show that the one-year relative survival rate after treatment is 93 percent; the 5-year and 10-year rates are 82 and 72 percent, respectively. At 15 years, the overall survival rate is 63 percent. The survival rate refers to the percent of people with Hodgkin's disease who live at least that many years after their cancer is diagnosed. Advances in diagnosis, staging and treatment of Hodgkin's disease have helped to make this once uniformly fatal disease highly treatable with potential for full recovery. In Hodgkin's disease, cells in the lymphatic system grow abnormally and may spread beyond the lymphatic system. As the disease progresses, it compromises the body's ability to fight infection and symptoms appear. Many initial signs and symptoms may be similar to those of influenza, such as fever, fatigue and night sweats. In time, tumors will develop if not treated. Hodgkin's disease is one of two general types of cancers of the lymphatic system. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the other type, is far more common. In 2001, there were about 7,400 new cases of Hodgkin's disease and about 1,300 deaths due to Hodgkin's disease in the United States. There were about 56,200 new cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and about 26,300 deaths due to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. |
"We know that I have cancer, but we're not sure if it's non-Hodgkin's or if it's Hodgkin's. I'm going to M.D. Anderson in Houston tomorrow and they are going to do a biopsy and some cat scans to determine all of that. They will probably have me on some sort of chemotherapy later this week."
McFarland first noticed a lump in his neck about four weeks ago and after a series of tests, it was discovered that he had lymphoma.
"I didn't think anything of it at first," McFarland said. "I went to my regular doctor and had it checked out and he sent me to a specialist. They did a biopsy and it came back as lymphoma."
McFarland said that it's too early to know exactly what stage the lymphoma is in, but the tests that are scheduled for later in the week will make the situation clearer.
"They think it's either in the first or second stage," McFarland said. "It started to grow so fast, that's why they wanted to rush so quickly with everything."
McFarland signed with Texas out of Jefferson High School in Jefferson, Texas in 2001 and after red-shirting his first season in Austin, he saw action last season as a defensive end. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound McFarland sat out this spring and was expecting to return to the Longhorns this season.
All cards and well wishes can be sent to:
Lance McFarland
Farm Rd. 248
Jefferson, Texas75657
Farm Rd. 248
Jefferson, Texas75657
Editor's Note: The entire The-University.com staff sends out its prayers and best wishes to Lance and the entire McFarland family. We hope to keep you updated on this situation.
