Chad Bettis To Begin Chemotherapy After Cancer Unexpectedly Spreads
1:15pm: Bettis spoke to the media, and the Denver Post’s Nick Groke writes that the right-hander gave good news on his prognosis — a roughly 90 percent rate of healthy recovery in cases similar to his own. Bettis says that “optimistically,” he’d be able to return to the baseball field as soon as this season.
12:29pm: Rockies right-hander Chad Bettis shared the frightening and unfortunate news today that the testicular cancer for which he underwent surgery earlier this offseason has unexpectedly spread. The 27-year-old’s full statement, which he shared on Twitter, reads as follows:
“During my routine health checkup last week, my oncologist believed that he had seen inflamed lymph nodes and ordered an immediate biopsy. I learned this week that my testicular cancer has unexpectedly spread, and I will begin a regimen of chemotherapy in the very near future. Although my blood tumor markers remain at normal levels, it’s clear that I need to be aggressive in my fight against this illness. Without being proactive, we wouldn’t have caught this. I am committed to beating this cancer. My family and I are grateful for the support of the Major League Baseball Players Association, the Rockies organization and you, the fans.”
While there are certainly baseball-related ramifications for the Rockies, the health and well-being of Bettis obviously takes priority. We at MLBTR extend our best wishes to Bettis and hope for a full recovery and, eventually, a return to the mound. Readers are encouraged to share their support and well wishes for Bettis and his family on Twitter.
Bettis had been slated to join Jon Gray, Tyler Anderson and Tyler Chatwood in the Rockies’ 2017 rotation a year after logging a career 186 innings over the course of a career-best 32 starts.
Chad Bettis Underwent Surgery For Testicular Cancer; Full Recovery Expected
Rockies right-hander Chad Bettis tells ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick that he was diagnosed with testicular cancer about two weeks ago. He required surgery the next day to remove one of his testicles, but the expectation is that the procedure will not significantly impact his future — either in his personal life or on the mound.
It’s certainly great to hear the positive prognosis for the 27-year-old, who has turned into a critical member of the Rockies’ staff. Bettis says that he has been informed that he should not suffer any impairment to his ability to have children, and ought to “be physically ready to have a normal Spring Training.”
The coming season is an important one for Bettis, who will be completing his arbitration resume in advance of his first-time eligibility next fall. That assumes, of course, that he can continue to grow on the mound. He took a step back in the earned-run department this year (4.79 ERA) following his twenty-start breakout in 2015 (4.23 ERA). But Bettis still provided 186 frames and carried good peripherals, leaving plenty of reason to hope that he’ll be a valuable rotation member in 2017 and down the line.
While any diagnosis that includes cancer is obviously frightening, Bettis notes that testicular cancer is generally quite manageable so long as it is identified and treated promptly. As we send our best wishes to him for a full recovery, we’ll echo his message here: “This only reinforces my belief that each of us needs to be totally in tune with our own physical health, and that taking action sooner than later when we feel like something is off can sometimes literally be the difference between life and death.”