Liam Hendriks, MLB Closer announces that he is cancer free

Liam+Hendriks%2C+MLB+Closer++announces+that+he+is+cancer+free

Bella Lee, Staff writer

The sports world is known for having its ups and downs, its victories and its heartbreaks.
This time, it’s the MLB that is seeing a major victory, with Chicago White Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks officially being cancer-free.
A native of Australia, Hendriks has been a part of the MLB since 2011, when he debuted with the Minnesota Twins. Since then, he has played for the Toronto Blue Jays, Kansas City Royals, and Oakland Athletics, and has been a member of the White Sox since 2021.
Through the 2022 season, Hendriks has recorded an impressive 724 strikeouts and 115 saves.
These past few months, however, have been difficult for Hendriks. On Jan. 8, he announced that he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and immediately began treatment.
Fortunately, his battle was short, as he announced on social media on April 5 that he was to complete his last round of chemotherapy and was officially cancer-free on April 20.
“REMISSION,” Hendriks wrote in an Instagram post that had videos and pictures of him going through his treatment. “It’s official. I’m cancer free. You never think you will be the one who hears ‘you have cancer’ but there I was…in shock and fear not knowing what comes next. I started treatment after SO many life altering appointments on January 9th, 2023. Every 28 days, I would have another round. Every 28 days, I got closer to the PET scan that would dictate how many more rounds there would be. Every 28 days, I got closer to this moment. These past 5 months have been both the quickest and slowest of my life. Being able to ring this victory bell has been one of the most emotional things I’ve ever done. I cannot thank my team of doctors and nurses enough for coming up with the best medical plan for me. No words can express the gratitude I have for them saving my life.”
While the White Sox are having a weak season right now, being 8-21 as of this writing, the return of Hendriks is sure to give them an edge.
Much to the delight of the team and the fans, Hendriks was able to return to training on April 29.
Hendriks has made the trip to each of the three last All-Star Games.
Since the start of the 2019 season, he’s pitched to a 2.26 ERA while striking out 13.5 batters per nine innings and posting a 0.88 WHIP.
Congratulations for Hendriks came from both players and veterans of MLB alike. “That’s it mate!” said Ryan Burr, Tampa Bay Rays pitcher. James McCann, Baltimore Orioles catcher, shared a pair of praying hand emojis. Billy Hamilton, White Sox center fielder, posted a set of strong arm emojis. Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners outfielder, wrote, “Incredible,” with a set of praising hand emojis.
It will certainly be great that Hendriks will be coming back to baseball and assisting his team in winning more games. Congratulations, Liam Hendriks!