Liam Hendriks closer to the Chicago White Sox rang the “victory bell” on Wednesday after completing his final round of chemotherapy, five months after being diagnosed with cancer.
Hendriks shared positive news with White Sox fans about his battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma ahead of his first home game, saying that he was approaching his final round of chemo.
“Then I’ll see you soon on the South Side. Play football, said Hendriks.
Hendriks posted a video of the moment he rang the bell, joking that it was “louder than I expected”.
He also wanted to take stock of how the last five months had modified him.
“You never think you may be the one to hear ‘you’ve cancer’ but I used to be… in shock and fear not knowing what would occur next,” he wrote on Instagram. “I began treatment after SO many life changing encounters on January 9, 2023. Every 28 days I had one other round. Every 28 days I’d get closer to a PET scan that will dictate what number of more rounds there could be. Every 28 days I got closer to this moment.
“The last 5 months have been each the fastest and slowest of my life. Having the ability to ring the victory bell was considered 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 even have for them for saving my life.”
Hendriks also found time to thank his family members.
“To my wife: you got here to every meeting. You held my hand every step of the way,” said Hendriks. “You’ve got been my voice of confidence and all the time made sure I felt loved and secure through all of it. I really like you.
“To family, friends and fans: Your support has kept me alive. You kept me in a very good mood to beat it. Your encouragement made an even bigger difference than you may ever know. Thanks from the bottom of my heart.”
Hendriks announced his cancer diagnosis in January, saying doctors imagine it is treatable.
Fortunately, that was the case for Hendrix, who can now give attention to baseball.
Hendriks steps down from consecutive All-Star seasons.
He had 37 defenses in 2022 and 38 in the league in 2021, each All-Star campaigns.
Last season, he had 85 strikeouts in 57.2 innings with an ERA of two.81.
Hendriks will start his thirteenth MLB season, third with the White Sox.
Since switching to an alternate, the Perth, Australia native has made quite a profession of releasing forwards and being consistent, especially since his first All-Star campaign in 2019 with the Oakland Athletics.
Hendriks also had appearances for the Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals.
There is no timetable for when Hendriks will return to the White Sox this season.