Quantcast
Channel: Black Entertainment, Money, Style and Beauty Blogs - Black Voices
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 4256

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Says Cancer Is At a 'Minimum'

$
0
0

Filed under:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Says Cancer Is At a 'Minimum'Back in 2008, Hall of Fame basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia, a cancer of the white blood cells. He's been on a drug called Gleevec that's helped doctors monitor the cancer closer and made his chances for recovery better. This week, Abdul-Jabbar tweeted that he was "cancer-free," but wanted to clarify that his battle isn't totally over yet.

"You're never really cancer free and I should have known that," Abdul-Jabbar told the Associated Press. "My cancer right now is at an absolute minimum. It's not life-threatening at this point in my life."

At 63 years old, when Kareem was diagnosed, he wasn't sure what to think. One of his close friends, actor Bruno Kirby, was diagnosed with leukemia and 30 days later he died. He thought his life was over.

"Medical science has made great strides over the last 20 years," he said. "People in my position are able to live their lives to the fullest. I'm very grateful for that. I'm lucky that they caught it in enough time, and I've responded well to the medication. If not for the success that medicine has made, I might be part of a much different story right now."

Lately, the former L.A. Laker is promoting his book and documentary about the Harlem Renaissance Big Five, also known as the Harlem Rens, called On the Shoulders of Giants.




 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 4256

Trending Articles