49ers assistant Johnny Holland's cancer battle has taught him life lessons
49ers linebackers coach Johnny Holland has done what he does since 1995. He continues to coach, quietly doing his job, despite a battle with multiple myeloma.
Holland was diagnosed with the incurable form of blood cancer before the 2019 season, and he continues with monthly treatments while living life one day at a time.
“My dad, he thought every day was a good day, and you have an opportunity,” Holland told D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I kind of live life by that. You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Enjoy the day and make the most of it.”
Holland, 58, said the only thing he can control is his attitude, so he keeps a positive one despite the dire diagnosis.
An original member of Kyle Shanahan’s coaching staff from 2017, Holland has helped turn 49ers linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw into stars.
“I always tell people, sometimes you think your back is against the wall when things happen to you in life,” Holland said. “Then sometimes there are significant things in life that you can’t control, which is sometimes your health. I’ve been a true believer in God, but it makes you like go, ‘God, is this for real?’ It’s real now.”
