The Chiefs delivered some great news on Tuesday night when they announced that safety Eric Berry has been cleared to practice with the team less than a year after he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and his approach to chemotherapy appears to have helped him make such a quick return to football activities.
On Wednesday, Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder said that Berry opted to have IVs during each chemotherapy session so that he could continue to work out while receiving treatment and that he emerged from his final round in May weighing a pound more than when he went into the grueling process. Burkholder said that Berry “sailed” through all of the tests that the team gave him and coach Andy Reid said all went well for Berry on the field.
“He looked pretty good out here,” Reid said, via B.J. Kissel of the team’s website.
Even though he kept in good shape while undergoing treatment, Berry will probably need some time before he’s back to full speed on the field given the length of his layoff. Assuming that process goes smoothly, it seems like a good bet that we’ll see Berry back on the field when the season gets underway and it will be hard to imagine a fan of any team will be rooting against that outcome.
