ATLANTA — Former NBA player Jason Collins revealed on Thursday that he has Stage 4 glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Collins, who played for the Atlanta Hawks from 2009-2012, spoke to ESPN about his diagnosis.
“A few months ago, my family released a short statement saying I had a brain tumor. It was simple, but intentionally vague. They did that to protect my privacy while I was mentally unable to speak for myself and my loved ones were trying to understand what we were dealing with. But now it’s time for people to hear directly from me," he told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
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Collins, who was the first openly gay active player in the NBA, said he and his husband were going to the US Open in August but missed their flight. Collins said he couldn’t stay focused enough to pack and that is why they were late to the airport.
It was the first sign of what was to come. Collins later went to UCLA hospital for a CT scan. It only took a few minutes before the tech sent him to a specialist.
“According to my family, in hours, my mental clarity, short-term memory and comprehension disappeared -- turning into an NBA player’s version of ‘Dory’ from ‘Finding Nemo.’ Over the next few weeks we would find out just how bad it was,” Collins told ESPN.
After a series of tests and a biopsy, doctors confirmed the worst for Collins and his family: the brain tumor he had was glioblastoma.
Collins said his grandmother had Stage 4 stomach cancer and doctors gave her only six months to live, but she lived longer than that. He said he will fight just like she did.
“We aren’t going to sit back and let this cancer kill me without giving it a hell of a fight,” he said.
You can read Collins’ full in-depth interview here.
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WHAT IS GLIOBLASTOMA?
The National Institutes of Health said glioblastoma “is a malignant (cancerous) brain tumor that develops from a specific type of brain cell called an astrocyte.” The cells support and feed neurons and form scar tissue that helps repair brain damage after an injury.
The average survival time for glioblastoma patients after symptoms begin is around 14 months with treatment, according to the American Brain Tumor Association. Around 10% of patients with the disease will live five years or longer.
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS?
Signs and symptoms of glioblastoma may include:
- Headache
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Drowsiness
- Emotional instability (mood changes/mood swings)
- Language impairment
- Memory problems
- Weakness
- Loss of vision
The Mayo Clinic says glioblastoma can happen at any age, but happens more often in older adults. Men are 50% more likely to develop glioblastoma than are women.
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