Washington coach Ron Rivera continues to coach as he continues to undergo cancer treatment. He made it clear on Monday that he plans to keep going during the remainder of his treatment.
Appearing on Good Morning America, Rivera said he’ll finish the final three weeks of treatment without stepping aside from his job.
“It’s who I am,” Rivera said, via ESPN.com. “Listening to the doctors talking about how important it is to try and do as much of the routine as possible, but they also tell you, ‘Hey, be careful, listen to your body.’ And also, there’s other people watching me, so I’m just trying to set the example.”
Indeed they are. When people with a high profile stand up and fight cancer publicly and zealously, it inspires the thousands who privately struggle with the disease every day.
“As Stuart Scott said, I have it; it doesn’t have me,” Rivera said. “And it’s not how far I have to go, but it’s how far I’ve gone.”
He has one more chemotherapy session during this preliminary round of treatment.
“When I first was diagnosed, I was angry,” Rivera said. “And then as I’ve gone through this, it’s always, ‘Well, why me?’ But as people have reached out, have talked to me, have given me their examples or just sent their well wishes, it helps push me forward. And I think that’s so important, because when you go through something like this, you need a support system. And when you have the right type of people pushing you -- man, I’ll tell you what, it really helps to get your momentum going forward.”
Amen to that. We’ve all been touched by the disease, one way or another. The process of recovering from treatments and then dreading the next one drains the body, mind, and spirit. Anything anyone can do to provide a boost helps.
Rivera’s journey provides a natural boost to any cancer patients aware of his story, and who witness his fight. We wish him well both for his own benefit, and for the benefit of everyone else who’s paying attention to him.