This season is a little different for Deion Sanders. The Colorado coach is back after dodging something as brutal as cancer. He was so scared that he even drafted a will after the diagnosis. But the comeback to Boulder was another nightmare for Coach Prime. He wanted to be here for his team and the fans, and chose the difficult route instead of the one that would be easier on him. Coach Prime opened up on what was the biggest challenge for him during this trying time.
Deion Sanders’ sudden disappearance from Colorado had everyone thinking up the worst possible scenarios. Two months later, in July, we came to know Sanders had gone through something that bad. Doctors diagnosed him with bladder cancer, and he drafted a will just before he headed for surgery. Sanders had his bladder removed to take out the cancer, and doctors replaced it with one made from a part of his small intestine. The main root of the problem was no more. But the road back to being on the sidelines was a steep climb for Deion Sanders.
When an organ that important is gone, it naturally brings on a huge hurdle in Sanders’ being able to relieve himself. That was when he’d felt the most “excruciating pain,” of his life, he told former teammate Michael Strahan in an appearance on Good Morning America. “I remember just, on the ground in the bathroom, and I’m just screaming because it was so much pain,” he added. Recovery was a huge toll for Coach Prime, as was made evident by Michael Irvin. He visited Sanders while he was recuperating in Texas, and his condition brought tears to Irvin’s eyes.
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That’s not all. He’s also developed some new problems to mitigate as a result of the surgery. Coach Prime also got candid about his incontinence issues, and that he has to make more efforts to get his new bladder functioning smoothly. “Some nights I go through two pairs of Depends a night. Like, some nights are bad,” he told Strahan. Sanders was also offered the option of going through a long course of chemotherapy, apart from the surgery. The former would obviously keep him away from Boulder, and Colorado needed him. The surgery came with the price of a tough recovery, which Coach Prime paid upfront.
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Deion Sanders is a lot of things, but he sure isn’t a quitter. He came back a few months after the surgery and is just as fiery as he was before. Even with the intense change, Sanders held on to his faith.
Deion Sanders had a strong resolve in his fight against cancer and a tough recovery
“I ain’t waiting. I ain’t sitting back on the curb waiting to go slowly but surely do whatever’s gonna happen,” Sanders said about what pushed him to pick the surgery. Even something as deadly as cancer wasn’t going to stop him from coaching. Surgery gave him a quick way out. It also left him with more lifestyle issues, but Coach isn’t letting them get in his way. The Colorado sideline now has a portable toilet constructed for Sanders, which is sponsored by Depends.
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“The Bible clearly depicts that in this world we’re gonna have tribulation,” he told Strahan. “I choose to rise up, man, not to stay down,” Sanders added. Coach Prime sure isn’t staying down. Colorado was expected to have a tough season because of the departure of star power, but it’s holding its ground at the moment. The Buffaloes got off to a bad start in the season and in the conference, but are steady at 2-2 after Week 4.
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Deion Sanders’ future took a sharp turn of events when a normal CAT scan brought up his cancer diagnosis. It threw all his plans out of the window, but he was sure about one thing: Sanders had to get back on the sidelines. He did that at a huge cost, which even took a toll on one of his most essential life processes. Things are a lot different for Coach Prime after his battle against cancer. But he’ll celebrate the fact that he even got to be here after everything.