White Sox closer Liam Hendriks announced this morning on Instagram that he’s finished his rounds of chemotherapy. The right-hander posted a brief video of himself ringing a hospital victory bell to a round of cheers, accompanied by a lengthy post.
“Five months ago my life changed forever,” Hendriks wrote. “You never think you will be the one who hears ’you have cancer’ but there I was … in shock and fear not knowing what comes next. I started treatment after so many life-altering appointments on January 9, 2023. Every 28 days, I would have another round. Every 28 days, I got closer to the PET scan that would dictate how many more rounds there would be. Every 28 days, I got closer to this moment.
These past five months have been both the quickest and slowest of my life. Being able to ring this victory bell has been one of the most emotional things I’ve ever done. I cannot thank my team of doctors and nurses enough for coming up with the best medical plan for me. No words can express the gratitude I have for them saving my life.”
Hendriks goes on to thank his wife for her support, as well as expressing gratitude to the rest of his family, friends and fans.
It’s obviously a welcome and heartwarming development. The White Sox announced on January 8 that Hendriks would begin treatment after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The team has understandably been reluctant to divulge much about the recovery, though general manager Rick Hahn provided reason for optimism last week when he told reporters Hendriks was responding well to treatment (relayed by Daryl Van Shouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times). Chicago refrained from placing the All-Star on the 60-day injured list, at least leaving open the possibility he could be back on an MLB mound by May.
The club hasn’t provided further specifics about Hendriks’ potential return to game action. The pitcher’s health has of course taken precedence throughout the past few months, though Hendriks teased he’d “see (White Sox fans) on the South Side soon” in a video message released by the team earlier this week. MLBTR joins countless others throughout the game in congratulating Hendriks on his recovery and wishing him the best once he’s ready to begin building back into game shape.
Say Hey Now Kid
We’re all pulling for you man
Prunella Vulgaris
Hooray!
Hired Gun 23
Way to hang in there, LH…soon you’ll be back to the business of baseball!
avenger65
He looks really good. Hopefully he’ll soon be back where he belongs: on the pitcher’s mound racking up saves.
Hired Gun 23
Avenger…100% agreed!
fisk72
Liam: Your ultra-positive attitude got you over this huge hurdle. Can’t wait to see you back at 35th & Shields.
TrillionaireTeamOperator
Wonderful news. Always great to hear when treatment is effective and complete and as always- Eff Cancer.
sascoach2003
Awesome news!!
cbraves
Good for Liam! Can’t wait to see him back!!
The Saber-toothed Superfife
Congratulations!
twinky
I’m glad he’s going to be ok!
gotigers68
Kick Cancer’s butt !!
benhen77
LFG!!
5TUNT1N
Hopefully his last. Get well soon Mr Hendriks!
n888
Glad to hear it, wishing him all the best on his continued recovery
James Midway
Very happy for him and his family.
jdgoat
Hat tips to Liam! F cancer!
vtadave
Weird to be mocking folks’ religion on a baseball board, but have at it I guess.
raregokus
You say that as if it weren’t the religious ones here that brought it up.
johnrealtime
Weird to bring up religion on a baseball board
Yankeesfan23
Inshallah!
Dumpster Divin Theo
Awesome news for a great community who’s always doing stuff in the community- he and his wife are also huge animal/pet lovers. Welcome back good sir- Godspeed on continued recovery!
TJT88
Amazing news. You can do it Liam. Everyone’s praying for you brother
Scott Kliesen
Some things are bigger than the game. We’re all fans of yours Liam. Prayers for a complete recovery and a resumption of a healthy life.
TrillionaireTeamOperator
Pretty astounding that a guy who by all accounts is a really good human being, gets declared cancer free and people come on here to criticize him for not sharing their religious views or equivocating his progressive politics with the harsh reality of being a cancer patient etc. disgusting stuff.
Hendricks is awesome. Y’all (and you know who you are) not so much.
cheugy
Good for him! Happy he’s healthy.
foppert
He was busy with his efforts to raise money for people who can’t afford the treatments for that particular disease. Doing a bit of practical good. Must have slipped his mind. I’m sure God will understand the oversight.
roob
No, you have to do everything the way that some “Christian” told you to.
D Rock36
Great news!
realsox
Since
realsox
Since he’s been with the Sox, I’ve white-knuckled his every appearance. Lots of saves, to be sure, but not always “clean.” And then those game-losing homers left me angry and deflated. But never again. I don’t care if he ever saves another Sox game. He’s made the biggest save, the best save, the only one that really counts, on a different field.
nrd1138
Glad he is healthy, but with how pathetic this Sox club has looked so far, I doubt they need him much longer. At least he will go to a club worth a damn before the trade deadline.
NoNeckWilliams
Sadly, the sabermetric/atheist connection rears its ugly head again.
MadSkillsUniversity
Stay strong and see you soon.