The first openly gay player in NBA history, Jason Collins, 47, has announced he has been diagnosed with stage four glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
In a statement to ESPN, Collins explained that it “all came on incredibly fast” as he experienced “weird” symptoms of inability to focus, disappearing comprehension, and memory loss.
“I had been having weird symptoms like this for a week or two, but unless something is really wrong, I’m going to push through. I’m an athlete,”he said.
Collins said it all came to a turning point back in August, when he for the first time in decades missed a flight when going to the US Open.
“We missed the flight because I couldn’t stay focused to pack,”Collins said.
He elaborated saying that after a CT scan with concerning results, followed by a biopsy, it was declared that he had a quickly growing “multiforme” glioblastoma—a brain tumor.
“The biopsy revealed that my glio had a growth factor of 30 per cent, meaning that within a matter of weeks, if nothing were to be done, the tumour would run out of room and I’d probably be dead within six weeks to three months,”Collins explained.
Collins explained that after chemotherapy and radiation, he, supported by his husband,Brunson Green and family, has decided to pursue innovative treatment at a clinic in Singapore.
“Currently I’m receiving treatment at a clinic in Singapore that offers targeted chemotherapy—using EDVs—a delivery mechanism that acts as a Trojan horse, seeking out proteins only found in glioblastomas to deliver its toxic payload past the blood-brain barrier and straight into my tumours.
“The goal is to keep fighting the progress of the tumours long enough for a personalised immunotherapy to be made for me, and to keep me healthy enough to receive that immunotherapy once it’s ready,”Collins said, and added that he feels good thinking that his decision to pursue innovative therapy might help the next who gets the same diagnosis as him one day.
The former NBA player is also currently being treated with the drug Avastin to slow the tumour’s growth.
Finding strength in being true to yourself
Collins said that one of the things that he prides himself on the most is having the right people in his life, and that when he first came out in 2013, he wasn’t even worried that anything was gonna leak when he told those closest to him before he did so.
“I got to tell my own story, the way I wanted to. And now I can honestly say, the past 12 years since have been the best of my life. Your life is so much better when you just show up as your true self, unafraid to be your true self, in public or private.This is me. This is what I’m dealing with*,”*he said, as headded that this experience reminds him of when he first came out in 2013.
“After I came out, someone I really respect told me that my choice to live openly could help someone who I might never meet. I’ve held onto that for years. And if I can do that again now, then that matters.”
He further explained that his years as an athlete has taught him not to panic in moments like these, and that following a conversation with his twin brother, he has decided to fight.
“When my grandmother got sick with stage 4 stomach cancer, she didn’t like people saying the word ‘cancer’. She never wanted that word being spoken. I am on the opposite end of the spectrum. I don’t care if you say the word. I have cancer, but just like my grandmother fought it, I’m going to fight it,”Collins said.
“We aren’t going to sit back and let this cancer kill me without giving it a hell of a fight,”Collins declared.
Collins officially retired from the NBA in 2014 after a 13-year career where he played for six different teams.
He earned a spot in Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People when he first came out, and has since been a visible advocate within the LGBTQIA+ community.