Colorado football coach Deion Sanders had his bladder removed after it was revealed he had an aggressive form of cancer. Sanders and his medical team met with the media Monday afternoon in Boulder. The doctors at the press confirmed that he is cancer-free.
Sanders made an appearance with Dr. Janet Kukreja, the Director of Urological Oncology at the University of Colorado Medical Center, and with Lauren Askevold from the University of Colorado athletic department’s medical staff.
Sanders Reveals He Had Cancer Surgery
He has been absent from the team and the Colorado football for months, having missed most of Spring camp and the off-season workouts. Sanders was at Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, Texas, three weeks ago. He had revealed there was a medical issue, but never gave any details until Monday’s press conference.
Sanders, wearing a cowboy hat and overalls, said the bladder tumor was discovered during a routine follow-up for his ongoing vascular issues. He was sent to a urologist who discovered the tumor.
Medical Choices
Dr. Kukreja said the cancer was high risk. She said if it had moved to the muscles, it would have metastasized quickly to other parts of the body. She said the other option was in-bladder treatment, which would have taken years with only a 50% chance of success. Kukreja said Sanders chose the more aggressive path. That meant having the entire bladder removed and a prosthetic one put in its place. The surgery was done laparoscopically, by robotics, to minimize the invasiveness.
The tumor was discovered in the early stages of Spring camp. After weeks of consultation, the surgery was done in May, just after the NFL draft. Sanders went through most of his rehab at home in Texas.
Sanders revealed that he did not tell any of his five kids or anyone on the Colorado football team as he was going through the process. He said he told his kids just a few days ago and his team yesterday.
This is the 14th surgery Sanders has had since early 2021. He has a history of circulatory problems and has had two removed as a result.
Life Going Forward For Sanders
In his opening statements, Sanders joked about what life is like now with a prosthetic bladder. “I can’t pee like I used to pee,” he said, laughing. “I depend on Depends.” He added that he and his infant grandson now have the same urinary control issues.
He left no doubt that he will be back starting with training camp this week. “If you see a porta potty on the sidelines, it’s real.”
Dr. Kukreja said the prosthetic bladder was made from Sanders’ own small intestines. By doing it that way, the risk of his body rejecting the new organ is zero. He will not have to take any immunosuppressants, which can leave a patient vulnerable to infections.
Sanders used the press conference to urge people to stay on top of their regular medical checkups. He said if he had not gone in for his, the cancer could have spread before they could have done anything about it.
He also said it caused him to make sure his personal affairs were in order and joked about the impact on his kids as he made his will. “The funny thing about that is you’re sitting there ranking your kids again,” he said with a grin. “Shilo deserves how much. ‘Bossy’ (the nickname for his youngest child, daughter Shelomi Sanders) left Colorado to go elsewhere. Let me see.” He joked with his doctors that he knew they were ranking their kids, also.
Check-Ups
Sanders scrolled through his phone during the press conference. He was reeling off a list of people in and out of the sports world who had been checking up on him during his absence. He made a special point of revealing that former NFL receiver Randy Moss had checked in with him every other day. Moss has had his own recent battle with cancer, but will be back to work with ESPN in time for the upcoming season.
Along with keeping up on regular medical visits, Sanders made a point, through more joking, about not trying to figure out medical issues on your own. “The initial thing is, what we all do is we Google,” Sanders said. “And that’s the wrong thing to do because they tell you, ‘You’re gonna die, Dog.’” He said Google needs to “change up” its information.
Sanders drove home the point that he may be leaving the sidelines for bathroom visits during practices or games. But he said the alternative process with the constant checkups over the years was not definitive or aggressive enough for him.
Main Image: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images (from Big 12 Media Days)
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