Remarkable: Seahawks’ DT Jesse Williams cleared to begin workouts 2 weeks after kidney-cancer surgery
SEATTLE – This is crazy – in the best possible way.
Seahawks defensive tackle Jesse Williams had surgery to remove cancer in his kidney two weeks ago.
This week he tweeted this: “Cleared to Workout, Comeback Begins. #MonstarStrong”
Yes, “The Monstar” has attacked cancer.
On his Instagram account, Williams, 24, posted a picture of him flashing a grin and a thumbs-up sign while standing on the team’s practice field in Renton with smiling teammate Richard Sherman.
Williams had surgery on May 28 for papillary type 2 cancer at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. Doctors there removed one of his kidneys. He checked out of the hospital two days later, and since then he and the team have been waiting to ensure the cancer was not returning.
The defensive tackle from Australia and the University of Alabama has missed his first two Seahawks seasons with knee injuries.
“2 weeks post Papillary Type 2 Renal Carcinoma Stage Three Surgery! Cleared for light workouts!” Williams posted. “If you know me you will know how much that means to me to be back out there moving around and hanging back with the team! Not an easy journey so far but I don’t think it would mean as much or be worth it if I didn’t have to fight for what I wanted! And I want this!! Appreciate the Seahawks for standing by me through all this & can’t wait to be back on the field representing such a great organization!”
The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, a renowned treatment and research center in New York, defines papillary type 2 cancer as representing “more than one category of disease but, as a group, are much more aggressive and may follow an unpredictable growth pattern.” Doctors found the cancerous cells in Williams’ main kidney area, as opposed to related tubes.
Sloan Kettering says the type of cancer Williams has occurs in 10 to 15 percent of all cases of kidney cancer. It occurs most often in men aged 50 to 70.
Seahawks sign Williams
The Seahawks signed former University of Washington and Skyline HS standout receiver Kasen Williams, the Seattle Times reported. Williams impressed the Seahawks during May’s rookie minicamp, in which he participated as a tryout player. Before that, he had signed as a free agent with the Cincinnati Bengals but was waived after failing his physical, apparently due to concerns over a foot injury he suffered at UW.