New England Patriots running back Brandon Bolden has widely been considered “an inspiration” to those around him.
Bill Belichick explained why Bolden was an inspiration for a multitude of reasons earlier in December, but he didn’t discuss one major factor. The 31-year-old announced on Instagram that he had cancer in 2018, and that he beat it.
He spoke with reporters later that day and went into depth about it the timing of his post on Instagram.
“I really didn’t have a reason for it,” Bolden said, transcribed by WEEI. “I actually had made that video [Wednesday] night because I was going through pictures, just kind of reminding myself. That was back in 2018, I was diagnosed with cancer, it’s like [inaudible] carcinoma. I got it removed in 2018 and still was cancer free at the beginning of this season. I feel fine and everything else.
“It was just one of those moments where I was messing with my son and my little brother about this, I actually looked in the mirror and I was like, ‘I’ve got my full face back’ and that’s what made me go through the pictures and everything else. Just to show like I had cancer and I didn’t think I was going to play another down in the NFL and here I am three years, going on four years, after having the surgery and still working strong. It was kind of one of those inspirational type deals for me because that took a lot. It was a lot of naysay from doctors and everything else and then I am here to prove people wrong and grow and get stronger.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYG5XPZhLT7/
He was diagnosed following the Patriots’ Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
“[I] lost the majority of function on the right side of my face and continued to play,” he said. “It was just my face, it wasn’t the rest of my body so I was OK with it.”
While revealing that only a few people knew about it, Bolden wanted to remain discreet.
“I don’t ever talk about it. I rarely talk about it,” he said. “It never stopped me from doing anything. It didn’t hinder me from anything. It was just one of those things me and my family dealt with and just kept pushing and kept everything as normal as possible.”
[listicle id=116683]