Spencer gets back on the court after cancer

For much of his 17 years, Spencer Riley has lived to play basketball. This winter, his favorite sport helped the teenager get back to life. Riley was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2016 and treated at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center that summer. He underwent an intensive three-month treatment cycle: one week of inpatient chemotherapy at Boston Children’s Hospital, two weeks of recuperation at home, and then back to Boston Children’s. While occasionally well enough to go on family outings, he was still too weak to shoot or even dribble a basketball. But the game was never far from Riley’s mind. His teammates, coaches, teachers, and other friends from Boston College High School visited him constantly. And varsity basketball head coach Bill Loughnane told Riley the spot that he had earned on the team the previous season was waiting for him. Riley’s parents and pediatric oncologist Dr. Dan Benedetti left the decision of trying to get back on the court for the 2016-17 season up to Riley, and in the end he made it — playing all winter for an Eagles team that advanced deep into the state playoffs and finished with a 20-3 record. “At the beginning of the season I could barely get up and down the court, but now I feel like I’m holding my own,” says Riley, who is also a junior honor roll student at BC High. “I still have trouble getting my wind, and need a few more breathers — but I know how lucky I am. A lot of kids have ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center Dr. Dan Benedetti non-Hodgkin lymphoma Source Type: news