If you're not a sports fan like I am, you may not have heard today's news about an NFL running back who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. What's so unusual and remarkable about this player's story is not that he has a tumor (though we don't know if his tumor is cancerous, there will be an estimated 22,000 new cases of brain cancer this year), but that it was discovered in such a random way.
Jerome Harrison had recently been traded to another football team and was undergoing a routine physical in order to get the trade approved. It's amazing to think what might have been had his original team wanted him to stay put. As ESPN blogger Kevin Seifert writes:
We don't know any details of Harrison's condition or prognosis, but it's safe to say the tumor wouldn't have been discovered if he hadn't been included in the Eagles' compensation for running back Ronnie Brown. Harrison is on the Lions' active roster for the moment, but you would have to assume his treatment will take precedence over playing football at this point.
...We should all take a moment to accept the randomness of this world. Who would have thought that the NFL trade deadline could be responsible for saving a life?
Photo by Schluesselbein2007
