Tag: Cancer

Foster Moreau talks cancer treatment, relationship with Saints and Derek Carr

Foster Moreau talked about his cancer treatment, his relationship with the Saints, and his friend and mentor Derek Carr on Adam Schefter’s podcast:

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New Orleans Saints tight end Foster Moreau sat down with ESPN’s Adam Schefter to look back on a rollercoaster of emotions during the last few months, and how his relationship with the Saints and quarterback Derek Carr helped seal the deal on his free agent contract with his hometown team.

The way Moreau tells it, he’s “been with the Saints since Aaron Brooks.” He’s born and raised in New Orleans, having played high school football at John Ryan Stadium just ten minutes away from the Caesars Superdome in Mid-City before continuing his athletic career in Baton Rouge with the LSU Tigers. His relationship with the team and its decision-makers played a major role in getting this done.

Moreau says that Loomis called his agent the day after he received his diagnosis. We’ll let him tell it: “That Saturday was the physical. That Sunday, Mickey calls my agent, Joe Linta. He says, ‘Look, we still value Foster as a person, and we value him even more as a player. We would absolutely love to sign him to whatever deal we can, whatever you guys feel comfortable (with), and whenever he’s ready to play, we’re excited to have him regardless. We’re going to keep him here, we’re going to keep him at home.’ And for me, that just spoke volumes.”

His specific cancer is much more treatable than most. Moreau shared that he’s been diagnosed with Nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma, or NLPHL, which is a non-aggressive cancer detected in 3 to 5% of patients. And it can be managed by infrequent medicine doses, not rigorous rounds of radiation or chemotherapy.

“My schedule was looking like this,” Moreau reflected, “I finished (treatment) Tuesday. I signed Wednesday, and Thursday I was out running routes with my quarterback, and my receivers, and my running backs at the Saints’ practice facility at 7:30 in the morning.”

Now he’s on track to practice with his teammates at organized team activities later in May and June, though Moreau’s doctors are advising him on how to best progress and ramp up his activity level. That he’s able to treat his cancer so well is remarkable, and it’s not a blessing he’s taking lightly.

And that last part means a lot — Moreau says that Carr has been one of his closest friends and mentors in the NFL. He recalled one meeting during his rookie year in which Carr addressed a room full of first-year players: “Derek told all of us, ‘You only get this chance once, please make it count, and don’t make it count for anyone other than you.’ It was so powerful for me. I remember where he was sitting. I remember how he said it. Just a special guy and a special leader. I’ll always be, I don’t know if indebted is the right word, but I’ll have a massive amount of reverence for especially the man, but obviously the player.”

As Loomis himself pointed out, the Saints valued Moreau so highly because they believe he’s a very good football player. But all of these human connections matter. Having those bonds and relationships to lean on and keep people together when adversity strikes is vital. Now that he’s putting this medical scare behind him, any adversity Moreau sees on the football field might pale in comparison.

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Mickey Loomis reflects on emotional journey that brought Foster Moreau to the Saints

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis reflected on the emotional journey that brought Foster Moreau back to New Orleans:

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The New Orleans Saints energized a lot of fans by signing tight end Foster Moreau as a free agent, and it’s easy to see why: he might be the best comeback story in the NFL after receiving a life-changing diagnosis for Hodgkin’s lymphoma during a routine physical with the team back in March.

Two months later, though, Moreau has undergone treatment and received clearance to get back on the field and continue his career. General manager Mickey Loomis acknowledged the high-strung emotions of the situation while speaking with local media at the Saints Hall of Fame golf tournament on Monday, but he was careful to remind everyone that there’s real value to the team in signing Moreau.

“First of all, we brought him in because he’s a good player,” Loomis cautioned, noting that isn’t just a feel-good story about bringing a player back to his hometown. “Versatile, well-rounded tight end. The fact that he’s from New Orleans, and has a history at LSU and here (at Jesuit High School), really had nothing to do with our interest in him.”

Moreau developed into a favorite target of Derek Carr’s when they were together on the Las Vegas Raiders, consistently winning on contested-catch opportunities and fighting for yards after the catch. He can block well, too, and he should add some elements to the Saints offense that they’ve been missing.

Still, at the end of the day this is an important chapter in someone’s life, and Loomis admitted as much. He’s as happy as anyone to see things turn for the better for Moreau so that he could get where he is now.

Loomis continued, “That’s emotional. To come take a physical and discover something that’s is unexpected, I know that’s tough on him and his family. And yet they’ve handled it beautifully. The great news is that the prognosis is good, and even the treatment protocol that he’s going to be under is going to allow him to do some things this offseason and hopefully play in the fall.”

So could Moreau be on the field when the Saints regroup for organized team activities later this month? Maybe so, but his doctors could advise him to take it slow and make sure his body has fully recovered from rigorous cancer treatment before putting himself under physical stress so soon. The Saints aren’t going to rush him into the first phase of drills with his new teammates, but they aren’t going to put any limitations on him, either.

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Dennis Allen says Saints don’t anticipate ‘any limitations at all’ for Foster Moreau

Dennis Allen said the Saints don’t anticipate ‘any limitations at all’ for Foster Moreau after undergoing treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma:

New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen shared his insight on a number of topics during an interview on the Rich Eisen Show this week, including his live reaction to news that his team was signing free agent tight end Foster Moreau — who had notably received a shocking cancer diagnosis during a physical with team doctors in March.

Foster has since undergone treatment and signed a three-year contract with the team, and Allen couldn’t be happier for him. When asked for his first comments on the Saints’ new addition, Allen was all smiles.

“He’s doing outstanding,” Allen replied. “Huge shoutout to our medical group, in particular Dr. John Amoss for being able to identify this and making sure we have the proper medical treatment for Foster. I think he’s doing outstanding. And the type of treatment he’s receiving, we don’t anticipate that there’s going to be any limitations at all in terms of his ability to participate and perform, and his ability to recover, and that’s the most important thing.”

Multiple local reports say the Saints could have Moreau on the practice field when veterans report for organized team activities next week, but team doctors may exercise an abundance of caution and limit his participation to make sure he isn’t putting too much stress on his body after undergoing rigorous cancer treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. We’ll see how the plan for him ultimately plays out, but Allen certainly sounds as excited as most fans to have Moreau in New Orleans wearing black and gold.

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Foster Moreau expects to play for Saints in 2023 without limitations

Multiple local reports say Foster Moreau expects to play for the Saints in 2023, and that he is not facing practice limitations after undergoing cancer treatment:

Wow. The New Orleans Saints are bringing tight end Foster Moreau back to his hometown as a free agent, and it isn’t just a good-faith gesture in the wake of his cancer diagnosis. Multiple local reports say that Moreau received a positive prognosis and that he expects to play for the Saints in 2023.

First, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said that “Moreau has been cleared and expects to play this season.” ESPN’s Katherine Terrell added that while Moreau’s playing status is uncertain “the course of treatment was looked at in terms of weeks, not months.”

Nola.com’s Luke Johnson reported the indication he’s been given “is that Moreau will be ready to participate right away.”

And NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill shared that Moreau is “still getting treatment but it won’t impact his participation. The Saints will bring him along slowly, but he is not expected to have any limitations.”

So there’s a very strong chance fans will see Moreau on the practice field over the summer, though it’s unclear what his activity level will be. Receiving medical clearance to play and having the right conditioning to help out during games are two different things. They could be approaching him similarly to rookie running back Kendre Miller, who is expected to take it easy this summer while recovering from a meniscus injury.

But this is a big (and very positive) upswing from where Moreau said he expected to be just a few weeks ago, having suggested he could return midseason. If he’s going to be back in the mix even sooner, well, that’s worth celebrating.

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Watch: Former Badger MBB player reflects on cancer journey

Walt McGrory, a guard on Wisconsin’s men’s basketball team from 2017-2021, has been battling cancer and recently had his leg amputated.

Walt McGrory, a former walk-on guard for Wisconsin’s men’s basketball team from 2017-2021, has been battling cancer and recently had his leg amputated.

After leaving the Badgers following the 2020-2021 campaign, it was discovered that he had developed bone cancer in his left leg (osteosarcoma) and he has been battling for two years.

Ultimately, he was forced to have his leg amputated in early 2023, but he’s remained upbeat in his recovery and has spread a message of strength throughout the entire process.

He has put his head down and done everything he needs to do to move forward, appreciating all the support he’s gotten from Badgers and Wisconsin fans.

Foster Moreau shares update on his cancer battle, treatment plan

Foster Moreau shared an update on his cancer battle and treatment plan during an interview with Good Morning America:

It’s been a dramatic offseason for Foster Moreau. The former Las Vegas Raiders and LSU Tigers tight end was expecting the first big payday of his NFL career as a free agent, and it nearly came with his hometown New Orleans Saints team.

Instead, he’s beginning a treatment plan for Hodgkin’s lymphoma after the cancer was discovered in a routine physical in New Orleans. Moreau shared the story of his initial diagnosis from Dr. John Amoss, a Saints team physician, which ended up being life-changing.

“I felt strong. I felt like I was running well,” Moreau recounted during an interview with Good Morning America. He had already undergone a physical with the Cincinnati Bengals before visiting the Saints, which hadn’t detected anything. “I mean, my offseason training was going just fine, and then he tells me something’s there that I could’ve never imagined and it rocks my world.”

He’s remaining optimistic. Other players have dealt with Hodgkin’s lymphoma to return to football before, and Moreau is hopeful he can do the same: “It’s at stage 2, so it’s spread from the initial location. But it appears to be a slow spread and we should be able to get rid of all of it.”

But he’s keeping a clear head. Moreau says he’s thankful for the support the Saints have given him throughout this process, and that he’s grateful he can stay close to his parents in New Orleans while undergoing treatment. He’s treating this battle just like every other conflict he’s approached on the field.

Moreau continued, “There’s no other way to look at it, right? So I’m preparing for my opponent, right? Hodgkin’s lymphoma, chemotherapy, I’m preparing for being on an IV, for six, seven, eight hours. Whatever it takes, right? Because I mean, there’s no other option. There’s no option.”

So will he return to play football? Moreau hopes so, but he’s being realistic about his expectations. He recently returned to New Orleans to complete his physical, and it’s possible the team could sign him after the 2023 NFL draft so he doesn’t count into the 2024 compensatory picks formula. They could then place Moreau on the non-football injury list until he’s cleared to return in, say, October. But that’s a long ways away. For now, Moreau is going to do everything he can to win this fight.

“You only have a finite amount of time on this Earth,” Moreau added. “For me, I’m gonna make it count. And right now, making it count is whuppin’ up on cancer’s butt.”

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Foster Moreau optimistic after lymphoma diagnosis, grateful for Saints’ support

Foster Moreau says he’s optimistic after his Hodgkin’s Lymphoma diagnosis, and that he’s grateful for the Saints’ support during a difficult process:

Foster Moreau nearly played for his hometown New Orleans Saints, but a life-changing diagnosis for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma has him changing priorities. The former Las Vegas Raiders and LSU Tigers tight end spoke about his experience on The Adam Schefter Podcast, detailing the process that led to his diagnosis, the challenges ahead of him, and the reasons for optimism that are fueling him.

Moreau compared the physical he went through with the Cincinnati Bengals, which was focused more on football concerns like his knees and other joints, and past injuries, with what he described as more of a “family doctor” exam with the Saints medical staff. While the Bengals medical team cleared him, the Saints doctor picked up on it right away: “The first thing he touches, I swear to you, is my lymph node in my left collarbone. And it’s shocking to him how swollen this thing is. We need to check this out, he says, this thing’s the size of a golf ball.”

At that point they sent word to Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and began discussing what’s next: radiology scans, an onsite biopsy, and further exams and a treatment plan. One thing Moreau was grateful for was proximity to home, being a quick drive away from his parents in New Orleans, rather than having received such bad news in faraway Cincinnati or Las Vegas.

“Cancer’s a scary word,” Moreau reflected, repeating, “Cancer’s an extremely scary word. I’ve had no history of any cancers on my mom’s or my dad’s  side of my family. So I was terrified. Did a lot of research on it, just the unknowns of what you’re about to go through.”

He says he reached out to a high school teammate who had survived a battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and the call left him feeling encouraged. He has a better understanding of what he’s in for, how treatable the cancer is, and what he’s in for. He now sees a future where he comes out of this experience without any long-lasting effects.

Moreau continued, “They believe that it was caught at an early stage because I didn’t have any of the ‘B symptoms’ like the exhaustion, the night sweats, the loss of weight. None of that had appeared. They just found the cancerous lymph node, so that was what triggered the initial scan, and that’s what came up positive.”

He also pointed to the examples of several former NFL players who beat cancer and returned to continue their careers, like former Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry and Pro Bowl running back James Conner. Berry was diagnosed with lymphoma in his chest cavity during the 2014 season, which was more difficult to treat than what Moreau expects.

Berry underwent chemotherapy in December and returned to the team seven months later, for the start of their 2015 training camp. He played four more years in the NFL and won All-Pro and Pro Bowl recognition. Like Berry, Conner’s cancer was detected behind his rib cage, and he was sidelined for eight months in college in 2015 but was medically cleared in 2016, got drafted in 2017, and recently signed a three-year extension with the Arizona Cardinals. Both

“Being able to play this year, I wouldn’t say it’s out of the question, but it’s also definitely not my main priority,” Moreau said, “Taking a step back and making sure that I can become cancer-free, go into remission, gain my health, strength, weight, speed, just kind of get into the groove of being a player again. Because obviously at the time I would be coming in everyone would be in midseason form, so that would be a very tall task for me to do. But I’m not ruling it out entirely but I need to get healthy first.”

As for his plans for the immediate future: Moreau intends to stay in New Orleans and receive treatment from a local specialist while staying close to his family, and he’ll worry about football once he’s given the green-light to do so. He added, “I’m a free agent, I don’t necessarily have a home. The Raiders have been supportive, and the Saints have been incredibly supportive, and I’m grateful for what they’ve shown me.”

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Former Raiders TE Foster Moreau ‘stepping away from football’ after cancer diagnosis

Foster Moreau ‘stepping away from football’ after cancer diagnosis

This offseason was supposed to be Foster Moreau’s chance to earn a long term free agent deal. And he was holding a free agent visit in New Orleans, when he received terrible news.

While taking his physical with the Saints — often the last step in the process before signing his new deal — they discovered he has cancer.

Moreau took it in stride, instead focusing on the positive as the early detection may save his life.

 

Moreau was a fourth round pick by the Raiders out of LSU. He appeared in 61 games, starting 34 games in four seasons and the number two tight end across from Darren Waller.

Moreau outplayed his draft status and was highly regarded as a blocking tight end with surprisingly good hands.

The moment he recovers from this, there should be plenty of interest to welcome him back to the NFL.

It was a pleasure coving him for four seasons with the Raiders and we wish him a full and speedy recovery.

Golfweek/USA TODAY reporter Steve DiMeglio returns to Players Championship amid battle with cancer

If only for a few hours, DiMeglio was able to commiserate with friends that have become family.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — For the first time in his nine-month battle with Stage 4 liver and rectum cancer, Steve DiMeglio found a perfect escape from the living hell of 720 hours of chemotherapy treatments, along with the daily drudgery of waking up and feeling sick.

DiMeglio returned to his comfort zone at the Players Championship.

If only for a few hours on three different days, one of the most recognizable faces among PGA Tour players and caddies was able to commiserate with friends that the lifelong bachelor considers extended family.

That was better medicine than anything his doctors at Beaches Baptist Hospital or anyone could provide the 61-year-old DiMeglio, who has been on disability since Sept. 5 and is often confined to his second-floor apartment due to fatigue.

“I miss the guys, I miss talking on the [golf] range, I miss all the socializing in the media center,” said DiMeglio. “I don’t miss looking at a blank screen on deadline.”

Throughout Players week, there has been no shortage of love for DiMeglio — a senior writer for Golfweek/USA TODAY — from the sport’s biggest names and his media colleagues.

Everyone was uplifted by his presence at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass because they hadn’t seen DiMeglio, who covered 20-22 tournaments a year, since he publicly announced his diagnosis last July on his birthday after the Open at St. Andrews.

When Rory McIlroy’s Tuesday news conference ended, he immediately went over to DiMeglio and gave him a hug. As Jordan Spieth and his caddie, Michael Greller, came to the scoring area on Friday, warm embraces were exchanged.

He received similar greetings at a practice round from one of his closest Tour buddies, 2015 Players champion Rickie Fowler, a cozy relationship for which DiMeglio is the target of much ribbing among media brethren.

Fowler’s playing partners that day, Gary Woodland, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, also greeted him warmly. On Friday, he chatted at length with Woodland, updating the 2019 U.S. Open champion on his condition and prognosis.

“He’s just always been good to me,” Woodland said of DiMeglio. “We text back and forth. Through this process, I’ve tried to check in on him, just let him know I care and my thoughts and prayers are with him.

“I’ve had a very good relationship with the whole media, but DiMegs, he’s just out there more. It seems like he’s more on the range, more inside the ropes with us walking around. That’s just a relationship that has grown for me because I’m around him more than anybody else [in the media].”

Warning signs surfaced

Before Australia native Cameron Smith overtook McIlroy and Cameron Young with a Sunday back-nine 30 to win last year’s Open, it was evident to DiMeglio and others that he was off his game.

He felt a “throbbing pain” on his right side and had diminished energy. For the first time in 16 years of going to the Open, at his favorite venue there no less, DiMeglio didn’t partake of one beer all week.

“I struggled sleeping,” said DiMeglio. “I was basically off kilter.”

Sports Illustrated golf writer Bob Harig, who shared a house with DiMeglio at St. Andrews, added: “He wasn’t himself. He wasn’t eating properly and you could tell he wasn’t feeling well.”

It just didn’t occur to DiMeglio that not feeling well would soon become a non-stop daily thing. He was forced to step aside from his job and a sport that he grew to love after a six-year stint covering Major League Baseball for Baseball Weekly, which later merged with USA Today.

One day after doctors revealed the Stage 4 cancer diagnosis, DiMeglio dropped the news on social media, which jolted the PGA Tour communications staff and everyone who knows him.

When asked why he went public so quickly, DiMeglio replied: “I don’t know. I was laying on a hospital bed and I had time to kill. That, and I didn’t want to call 50-100 people to say the same thing.”

The excruciating battle caused him to lose about 30 pounds, though the 5-foot-5 DiMeglio has regained some of the weight. He’s back up to 120 pounds from his pre-cancer weight of 145.

“I think the worst moment was one time when I looked in the mirror and saw how skinny I had gotten,” said DiMeglio. “It jarred me when I heard the news. [Taking] chemo? You just deal with it. It’s a s— feeling, but you deal with it.”

DiMeglio is reluctant to connect his cancer fight with him being courageous, though he’s worthy of praise for constantly tweeting out messages of positivity like this one on March 7: “Went to TPC Sawgrass/Players Championship today, my first tournament since Open. Lifted spirits seeing the traveling bunch of players, caddies and media again. Confirmed I had the best job I’ve ever had.”

Connecting with Tiger

One of DiMeglio’s first assignments after becoming the USA Today golf writer in 2006 was covering the Buick Invitational, a memorable event since he finally got to eyeball Tiger Woods up close and in person.

“I can still picture seeing Tiger on the range at Torrey Pines and just being awed by him hitting a golf ball,” said DiMeglio. “Accessibility [for media] to golf is unbelievable. I stood behind batting cages and watched [MLB] guys hit in practice, but it was a little different when I could stand a few feet behind Tiger, Phil [Mickelson] and Rory and watch them hit.”

It’s been well-documented that Woods has kept a distant relationship with the media beyond press conference obligations. But DiMeglio, along with Harig, Associated Press writer Doug Ferguson and a few others, were among media Woods would regularly speak to away from cameras, microphones and notepads.

That kind of access to the greatest golfer of his generation speaks to DiMeglio’s ability to forge bonds of trust.

“Steve’s got a really good relationship with a lot of guys out here,” said Fowler. “He’s treated players fairly. I don’t think he’s necessarily written or done anything that’s rubbed people the wrong way. Sometimes you’ll see that, relationships get ruined between media and players.

“He cares. He enjoys what he does. He can take and give it. We all give each other a hard time. A lot of it is because he has a great relationship and reputation.”

DiMeglio describes how he made a connection with Tiger this way, saying: “You had to earn it and he had to like you. You want to have access to the most important figure in the game. That was a big thing for me. A lot of it is just fairness. We didn’t take cheap shots.

“I was just fortunate I could make him laugh. I could give him the needle and he could give it back to me, mostly about my height. He’s done my height a lot.”

During his 16 years covering golf, no memory resonates more with DiMeglio than hearing the eruption at Torrey Pines in the 2008 U.S. Open. Woods, playing on a bum left knee, dropped a 12-foot birdie putt at the final hole of regulation to force a playoff with Rocco Mediate. Tiger eventually won.

“I was there near the green when it happened,” said DiMeglio. “Was it the loudest thing I ever heard? Well, I did see [the New York Yankees’] Scott Brosius hit the home run at Yankee Stadium to tie up Game 5 [of the 2001 World Series] against the Diamondbacks.

“But, I mean, the earth moved. Tiger made the earth move. It hits you right in the heart, in the gut and in the ears. I was fortunate to be there.”

Taking the punches

If there’s a sliver of consolation in his battle against a ruthless enemy, DiMeglio and friends have been able to affirm how much they appreciate each other.

Tour communication staff members that DiMeglio keeps in touch with – Amanda Harrington, Jack Ryan, Haley Peterson and Laura Neal – have pitched in to assist him as needs like grocery shopping and heavy lifting arise.

With his parents from Mankato, Minnesota, deceased and five siblings scattered all over the country, DiMeglio has people on call who care deeply about his welfare.

“In Ponte Vedra, the Tour is more or less his family in town,” said Joel Schuchmann, senior vice president of communications. “We haven’t done anything nobody else wouldn’t do, but Steve is a special person and a part of family. Families have good times and bad times and right now, Steve is going through a tough time.

“A lot of people out here are acquaintances, a lot are friends. Players have reached out to him. Steve is stuck at home, so getting a message from a player makes his day. He’s definitely in his element when he’s around the game.”

Unfortunately, except for watching golf on television or receiving texts from players, DiMeglio can’t be around the game in the manner he once was.

Days of bantering with colleagues at tournaments, driving up Magnolia Lane for the Masters and joking with golfers on the range — all of that has been put on hold. Even if he returns to normal health, DiMeglio is uncertain about returning to writing.

“The only word for him to say was onward,” said Ferguson. “He knew ahead of time he was stepping in the ring with Mike Tyson. There are going to be body blows.

“Outwardly, he’s trying to keep a positive outlook, which he has to. But it’s OK to recognize that, ‘I just took a left hook and I got to pull myself back up.'”

It encourages Ferguson that his friend will occasionally put out goals for himself on social media. One was for DiMeglio to be at Ferguson’s house in Jacksonville for Thanksgiving, an annual tradition since he moved to Ponte Vedra Beach in 2013. He made it.

Spieth doesn’t pretend to understand what DiMeglio is going through. He just wants him to recover and get back to living a more normal life.

“Regardless, anybody in the world, it’s just a ridiculously bad disease,” Spieth said. “But then it’s somebody you respect in the business, too. It’s like, ‘Man, one of the good guys, just why does it happen?’ I can’t imagine how he feels when he’s not around other people. I know that he wouldn’t make you feel like it’s a problem because that’s not who he is.”

If anybody can appreciate DiMeglio’s tough situation, it’s New York Post golf writer Mark Cannizzaro, who fought melanoma for 16 months and endured a three-month hospital stay back in 2008. He’s still in cancer remission.

“My biggest recommendation to Steve was to not dwell on it and stay positive,” said Cannizzaro. “I learned to appreciate the power of positivity, which comes down to people supporting you. My wife [Carolyn] said I was depressed at the time, but she saw how my spirits lifted when people reached out to me.”

‘You can’t give up’

Every day, whether it’s a chemo appointment or completing tasks that he once took for granted, DiMeglio mentally arms himself for a fight with his “invisible enemy.”

DiMeglio started his post-college life by writing children’s books, then got his first sports writing job at the Palm Springs Desert Sun in 1988 after driving from Minnesota to drop off resumes throughout California. DiMeglio is willing to go the extra mile, and minces no words about the grind of battling a dreaded disease.

“Basically, I feel under the weather every single day, but I still get to feel under the weather every single day, which is better than not,” said DiMeglio. “There is no prognosis. We don’t know.

“There’s no guarantee I’ll live. Stage 4 [cancer] can kill me. I just have to do my best to beat it. We just got to keep treatment going and, hopefully, my body cooperates and we beat this thing.”

He also copes with the side effect of neuropathy, a loss of feeling in his fingertips and toes. DiMeglio stares down a future of uncertainty with as much gusto as he can muster because he sees no viable alternative.

“Am I tougher than I thought? I have no idea,” DiMeglio added. “I don’t know why I didn’t start bawling [upon hearing the diagnosis]. I’m like, ‘I got a fight on my hands, deal with it.’ You just have to move on and be as positive as you can be. You can’t give up.”

Fowler echoed the sentiment of many players after Saturday’s third round, saying: “It’s great to see him out here. We want to see him more.”

Everybody connected with the Tour is rooting hard for the legendary golf journalist to win this battle. Whether it’s to needle him about his height, being on the range talking to players or pounding away on his keyboard, they miss him.

Golf insiders know it’s a far better game with Steve DiMeglio in their presence.

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Nichols: I lost my dad to cancer in 2022. But he sees even more of my shots now

When I see a young girl on her dad’s shoulders at a tournament, my heart sinks and swells. This game will bond them for life.

My dad liked to warm up on the range with his hybrids. Whatever it took to build confidence before a round. A disciple of Ben Hogan, he left behind stacks of spiral notebooks filled with untold secrets. In retirement, he grew a fondness for martini tees and went through a period where he only hit yellow golf balls. Dan Baldry was a chronic tinkerer. He loved to build clubs in the garage, convinced that a new shaft would change everything.

He died of cancer in February at age 77.

The first time I went to the range after he died, I put on my Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons “Anthology” and sat down on one of the plastic lounge chairs and cried. We’d spent countless hours on that range together searching for answers. Going there now still feels like being wrapped in a warm blanket and stabbed in the heart all at the same time.

Dan Baldry, Beth Ann Nichols and Wanda Baldry at the 2013 GWAA Annual Awards Dinner. Dan and Wanda were married for nearly 52 years. (Photo courtesy Beth Ann Nichols)

I played my first round of golf after he died on what would’ve been his 78th birthday. Nothing could’ve been more fitting. My father taught me a game that led to a college scholarship and a career that has been more fulfilling than I ever could’ve imagined. But more than that, golf gave us a lifelong connection, something we could share in big ways (Pebble Beach!) and small.

No one in the world will ever care about the details of my rounds like my dad. He wanted to revel in the good and commiserate with the bad. When I see a young girl on her dad’s shoulders at a tournament, my heart sinks and swells simultaneously. This game will bond them for life.

Basketball was my dad’s first love. He grew up in Rising Sun, Indiana, and watched Milan, the real-life “Hoosiers” team, take on his beloved Shiners. My grandmother taught him Latin, but all he wanted to do was play ball. He was a three-sport coach for much of his teaching career in Lakeland, Florida, marrying the beautiful elementary P.E. teacher who lived next door. My mom, Wanda, incidentally, leads the family with two career holes-in-one.

The first time I played a round of golf after he died on the local muni where I grew up, I pushed my approach shot on the opening hole. My ball had settled down on a bare patch of dirt, and I could hear him say, “Get yourself a lie, Beth Ann.” So I did, and I chipped it in.

He sees even more of my shots now.

Golf has been hard this year. My grips were tattered, and the shaft on my beloved old wedge broke in Michigan. Earlier this month, I finally got around to getting it fixed at the local golf shop where my dad spent so much time. The golf shop’s owner was one of several friends who spoke at his funeral.

I regret not spending more time with my dad in the garage at his workbench. There was so much left to learn, none of it from a book.

Dan Baldry helps his daughter Beth Ann Nichols fish out a ball at Butternut Creek in Blairsville, Georgia. (Photo courtesy Beth Ann Nichols)

My dad always went big at Christmas, and, as an adult, I loved few things more than watching him light up over a new Masters shirt under the tree. He had thick, calloused hands and a soft heart. When I was sick, he’d stay home with me and eat chicken noodle soup and watch “Bonanza.”

I never fully appreciated the depth of my father’s love until he got really sick. Never believed he wouldn’t beat cancer until the day he asked me to call hospice and take him home.

We said everything there was to say. And then we held hands and waited.

Helping usher my father into the presence of Jesus was the hardest and most sacred time of my life. I was sitting on the floor in the living room next to his bed with my mother, going through a box of old family letters and photos when his breathing changed. As “How Great Thou Art” filled the room, he went with the angels. I truly believe that the sound of our laughter and talk of loved ones long gone allowed him to let go.

As my friend Grant Boone texted, “Never has that space between heaven and earth been thinner.”

My father didn’t have an email account or a smartphone. He kept up with friends the old-fashioned way – in person. Few things in life are more precious than listening to a friend of 50-plus years say goodbye. My mother and I had the privilege of holding the phone to my dad’s ear in those final days.

Since he died, I’d often wake up at 3 a.m. and lie in bed and write versions of this column in my head. Stories and memories that I didn’t want to die, too.

In the end, he looked so peaceful. The pain that had wrinkled his face and haunted his eyes disappeared. The hospice nurse helped me dress him in one of his favorite golf shirts, reserved for Christmas Eve services, and a pair of his signature grey coaching shorts.

My best friend since the seventh grade made it over to the house first. She held my hand as we sat on the couch. I commented on how much my dad looked like himself again.

All heaven rejoiced.

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