Eric Berry was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma last December. On Wednesday, he was on the practice field for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Berry's comeback story is something to savor while off-the-field drama dogs the NFL. On Wednesday, he spoke to reporters for the first time since his stunning diagnosis.
"It was tough. It was a battle every day. I had to, it was to the point where I had to set goals to where I would just get out the bed," he said. "You know, today I'll get out the bed, I'm not gonna stay in the bed all day because I would literally stay in the bed all day.
"It was a tough process but like I said I had a great support system between my mom and dad being in the trenches with me every day, day in and day out and just making sure I had everything that I needed from an emotional standpoint, a physical standpoint, everything."
Berry said the recovery process -- which included regular chemotherapy treatments -- pushed him to the physical limit. Berry said that the exhaustion that came with the chemo treatment was unlike anything he's felt.
"To be honest with you, I was training while I was going through chemo," he said. "There would be times I would work out and I'd end up just crying after the workout just because, first of all, I couldn't believe that I made it through the workout, but I couldn't believe it was that hard.
"I was trying to push myself to the limit, I couldn't push myself how I wanted to and it was just ... I had to break it down to really embracing the process and understand that everything wasn't going to come back overnight. You add chemo into something like this, that's a whole different monster because it literally feels like you're dying."
Consider this your daily reminder of the mindset that separates the professional athlete from most of the general public. Berry spent the last eight months with one eye on beating cancer and one on getting ready for the field. His determination is awe-inspiring.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast discusses Tom Brady's four-game suspension and Eric Berry's comeback.
