Marcus Cannon Doing Well, Thriving Despite Lymphoma

Marcus Cannon, the New England Patriots’ fifth-round selection in the 2011 NFL Draft is recovering well from his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, ESPN is reporting. The former TCU standout is currently undergoing chemotherapy for his condition, and as per the report, the recovery is “on a positive course.”

"It's looking better and better every time I go in," Cannon said Thursday on ESPN's "First Take." "The actual lump that was seen at the [NFL] combine has totally disappeared."

While he still has a few more treatments left to go and a number of doctors consultations after that, Cannon describes his current condition as “great” and seems to be very enthusiastic about what the future holds for him.

Having experienced what a serious diagnosis like the one he received means first hand, Cannon also said that he and former Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich have spoken. Herzlich, of course, returned to play football in 2010 after having been diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma.

"We had a good conversation," Cannon said. "We talked a little bit and he gave me some pointers. I just asked him questions about when he was losing his hair and asked him how he was getting through it. We shared our stories. It was a friendly talk, like I was talking to another teammate."

A strong-willed individual on and off the field, Cannon is an asset to the Patriots organization and will no doubt be one of the truly great stories to follow whenever the football season ends up kicking off.