Ron Rivera announces he is officially cancer-free
Ron Rivera has added another win to his record, and his team didn’t even have to play a game.
The head coach of the Washington Football Team is officially cancer-free, according to tweets from his wife and daughter on Thursday. Rivera had been battling a case of squamous cell cancer during the season, and he now appears to be out of the woods:
Prayers have been answered. Thx to all the Drs & nurses who “Coached up” @RiverboatRonHC and me and gave us the winning game plan to defeat cancer. The PET scan said it all, cancer you lost this fight! #RiveraStrong
— Stephanie Rivera (@CoachRiv2) January 28, 2021
Thank you all for the love and prayers ❤️💛 just got off the phone with mom and dad leaving the hospital @RiverboatRonHC is officially cancer free!!! https://t.co/zxHls7WV7g
— Courtney Rivera (@NFL2Ucla) January 28, 2021
Rivera announced the good news himself later Thursday, posting a picture with some very good dogs.
Thank you everyone for your prayers, letters, texts & notes of encouragement & support. It truly made a difference in my treatment & recovery!#RiveraStrong @WashingtonNFL pic.twitter.com/0s5byndWyF
— Ron Rivera (@RiverboatRonHC) January 29, 2021
Rivera’s diagnosis was first reported in August, weeks before he was about to begin his first season as the head coach in Washington. Rivera’s case was reported to be “very treatable,” but that treatment still had to come during the always-stressful NFL season.
Rivera didn’t miss a single game while undergoing treatment, leading Washington to a 7-9 record and its first playoff berth since 2015 despite cycling through four different starting quarterbacks. He did have to miss a practice due to side effects from chemotherapy, but still managed to coach his team’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Washington announced in October that Rivera had undergone his final cancer treatment, and it appears his follow-up examination revealed no trace of the illness.
It's a different kind of Victory Monday 💛#RiveraStrong pic.twitter.com/tgiZgOpBGC
— Washington Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) October 26, 2020
Rivera’s strength through his team’s turbulence under center, his cancer treatments and the overall instability in D.C. was enough to earn him the title of NFC Coach of the Year as voted by his peers. Hopefully, next season will be a bit easier.
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