Pitt RB Conner 'clean of cancer'
When Pitt running back James Conner finished his 12th and final chemotherapy treatment for Hodgkins lymphoma, his brother Glen heard the news and said he started to clap.
But James had a warning for his oldest brother.
“He told me, ‘Don't clap, bro. It doesn't mean it's over yet,' ” Glen said.
But more good news arrived Monday when doctors told Conner, who has battled a knee injury and cancer over the past eight months, that he is cancer-free.
James Conner shared the news on Twitter.
“God is AMAZING,” the tweet late Monday afternoon read. “Just got the call that my body is clean of cancer!!! Been a long road but God had my back. Thanks everyone who said prayers.”
Said Glen: “Today was the day I was waiting for.”
Glen Conner said he got a text message from James on Monday morning. It read: “Got big news, bro. Cancer free.”
Glen's response: “I knew you would be.”
Glen, who lives in Erie, said he hadn't spoken to James as of early Monday evening but planned to speak to him and their mother, Kelly Patterson, before the end of the night.
“It will be a good (conversation) and a serious one,” he said. “I'll give him a big-brother talk and let him know what he needs to do to get where he wants to be.
“When he was (first) diagnosed, and we got over the initial shock, we said, ‘We are going to beat this, and when we beat this, it's back to work.' “
James Conner, named ACC Player of the Year after rushing for 1,765 yards and a Pitt-record 26 touchdowns in 2014, missed most of last season with a knee injury suffered in the first game. He received the Hodgkins diagnosis Thanksgiving Day and almost immediately started a series of treatments every two weeks that ended May 9.
During his treatments, he remained a part of the team, leading calisthenics and taking part in selected drills this spring, often while wearing a surgical mask to ward off infection. He also threw out the first pitch at the Pirates' opener at PNC Park on April 3.
At the time of Conner's diagnosis, UPMC cancer specialist Dr. Stanley Marks said he believed Conner would be able to play football in 2016. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi has been equally optimistic, at one point guaranteeing that Conner would recover.
Narduzzi, who was out of town Monday while meeting with Pitt boosters in Chicago, issued this statement:
“Over the past six months, James Conner fought cancer the same way he plays football: relentlessly and without surrender. He has inspired and touched so many people in how he has handled this challenge. =
“James is an incredibly special person, and I'm not even thinking about his football ability when I say that.
“Everyone at Pitt feels blessed to know him and we are tremendously thankful for the wonderful news he received today.”
Jerry DiPaola is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.
