EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Mark Herzlich is putting his battle with cancer behind him and looking to a new chapter in his life — as an NFL player with the New York Giants.
The recently turned 24-year-old linebacker is never going to forget cancer. That’s impossible.
There’s a titanium rod in his left leg as a constant reminder of the rare form of bone cancer that caused him to miss the 2009 season at Boston College. If that isn’t enough, there are memories of the draining effects of chemotherapy and radiation, and those lingering doubts about life.
It’s always there. Things like that never go away.
But Herzlich doesn’t want the past to define his life. It’s time to move on and play the game he loves, and Monday was the official first day of his NFL career.
