Liam Hendriks confirmed power and resilience as he impressed the baseball world and past by returning to the mound after battling stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The Chicago White Sox reliever will obtain the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance through the 2023 ESPY Awards.
“In one of the most challenging years of my life, receiving the Jimmy V Award from ESPN is beyond my wildest dreams,” Hendriks stated in an announcement offered to the Tribune.
The 2023 ESPYs will happen July 12 in Los Angeles and air reside at 7 p.m. on ABC-7.
The honor is “a symbol of (Hendriks’) strength and resilience in his fight against non-Hodgkin lymphoma,” based on a information launch.
Hendriks disclosed in an Instagram publish in January he was starting therapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, later detailing it was stage 4.
Support poured in from in every single place. Hendriks stated a Jan. 30 textual content from Cubs pitcher Jameson Taillon, as soon as recognized with testicular most cancers, served as motivation.
“His was: ‘It’s your journey. Nobody can tell you what to feel or what to do baseball-wise. Do whatever you feel is right,’” Hendriks stated on May 3.
Hendriks threw a bullpen session within the days after the textual content. He accomplished therapy on April 3 and introduced he was cancer-free on April 20.
A minor-league rehab task with Triple-A Charlotte adopted, which included gamers stepping out of each dugouts to clap for Hendriks earlier than his first outing in Gwinnett County, Ga.
Hendriks made his first aid look of the season on May 29 in opposition to the Los Angeles Angels at Guaranteed Rate Field. He acquired a number of standing ovations through the night, and members of each groups stood and clapped when he entered the sport within the eighth inning.
A ceremony earlier than that recreation recognized the more than $100,000 raised within the “Close Out Cancer” T-shirt marketing campaign. The Sox partnered with the Lymphoma Research Foundation, and the funds raised offered monetary help to lymphoma sufferers.
The New York Yankees acknowledged Hendriks earlier than a June 8 doubleheader at Yankee Stadium, with the crew donating $10,000 to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in his honor. Hendriks introduced he would match the donation.
Now the three-time All-Star and two-time reliever of the yr — who made 5 appearances this season earlier than touchdown on the injured checklist with proper elbow irritation — shall be honored on the ESPYs.
Past recipients of the Jimmy V Award embrace Dick Vitale (2022), Chris Nikic (2021), Craig Sager (2016), and Stuart Scott (2014).
The ESPYs helps increase consciousness and funds for the V Foundation for Cancer Research, the charity based by ESPN and the late basketball coach Jim Valvano on the first ESPYs in 1993. According to the discharge, ESPN has helped increase greater than $195 million for the V Foundation over the previous 30 years.
“My goal was always to focus on my health and get back out on the mound with my teammates, and I’m glad to have been able to do that this year,” Hendriks stated within the assertion. “It’s all about focusing on positivity, and I thank ESPN for recognizing me for that.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com