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Last year, the sports world was shaken to its core by the announcement that NFL legend Randy Moss had been diagnosed with Stage 2 bile duct cancer. On Thursday, the former wide receiver and Pro Football Hall of Famer made an appearance on Good Morning America to open up and raise awareness about his disease and his fight to stay healthy.
“I just think that when you live your life a certain type of way of eating right, taking care of your health, and all of a sudden you get diagnosed with cancer … I was overwhelmed, like hit with a ton of bricks,” Moss, who retired from the NFL in 2012, told GMA’s Robin Roberts.
Moss, 48, also discussed his grueling cancer treatment, which he said included chemotherapy, radiation treatment, and a six-hour surgery to remove parts of several organs. Moss said the process put him in “fight” mode, even as the treatments caused him to struggle to even get out of bed every day.
“I talk about my faith in the Lord. I talk about how much I love my family. And I talk about the game that I grew up loving at a small age, and that’s football,” he said. “I put one more ‘F’ in that, in that category, and that’s the ‘fight,’ because that’s what I needed to do.”
Moss’ wife, Lydia Moss, who served as her husband’s primary caregiver, also spoke with GMA about what she and their family have gone through, and how it was her job to be on his side even when he didn’t want anyone’s help.
“It was hard for me, because he didn’t want our help, because he’s used to doing everything on his own. And as much as he tried to push us away, I think he realized we needed him and he needed us,” she said. “I was kicking down them doors. I was opening up those blinds. I was like, ‘Even if I just have to sit here, I’m just gonna sit here. Even if you angry, even if you don’t wanna talk, we gonna be here.'”
Moss not only took his wife’s advice, strength and wisdom, but he also passed it on to another football legend who recently revealed a cancer diagnosis, Deion Sanders.
Sanders revealed in July that he took time away from coaching over the summer to undergo treatment for bladder cancer, which he said he had already beaten, according to his doctors.
“One thing that my wife told me is, ‘Man, get on out here and let the family love you. They miss you,'” Moss recalled. “So, that’s the same message I gave Coach Prime, and he did that, and right when he did that, he texted me back a couple days and told me thank you.”
Shout out to Randy Moss for being open and honest, and we hope he continues to recover and fight the good fight.
And, as always, f-ck cancer!
See how social media is uplifting his journey below.
