After a thyroid surgery to remove a malignant growth, Detroit Tigers' Daniel Norris announced on Instagram and Twitter that he is 'cancer free'. Norris thanked fans for the overwhelming support.
Norris was diagnosed with the malignant tumor in his thyroid early in 2015 while pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays. The pitcher kept playing as advised by his doctor who said the surgery could wait until the end of the season.
Norris struggled a bit post-trade off. On Aug. 19, Norris suffered an injury on his left oblique which relegated him to the sidelines for several weeks until he returned strong in September.
The Detroit Tigers expressed that they knew about Norris' condition when they got him on the team, prior to the July 30 trade, as confirmed by Tigers general manager Al Avila on Oct. 19. It was the same day that Norris announced that he needed surgery to remove the malignant growth.
On Instagram, he posted a photo with a lengthy caption that explained how he found out about the illness. After flying back and forth from Toronto to Buffalo to do a series of tests, it was finally confirmed that the tumor on his thyroid was malignant. He wrote that he was given an option to get it removed immediately, which mean cutting himself out of the season. However, a second opinion determined that he could wait until the season's end to have the surgery he needed.
"Just keep playing. Baseball kept me sane. Regardless of results on the field, I forgot about it when I was between the lines," wrote Norris on Instagram. He noted that the power of prayer got him through the season. He asked for prayers as he prepared for the surgery. He asked fans to keep him in their thoughts and prayers to help him come out of it 100 percent cancer free. He ended the post with the hashtag #justkeeplivin.
On Oct. 29, Norris posted on Instagram and Twitter a photo of him showing his surgical scar. He accompanied it with a heartfelt caption.
"I just want to thank everyone for the thoughts and prayers. Surgery was successful and I am Cancer Free," wrote Norris. Expected to make a full recovery, Norris remains one of the strong candidates for the 2016 Detroit Tigers spring training as part as a key player in the team's rotation.
In 13 starts this season, Norris finished 3-2 with a 3.75 earned run average (ERA). His stats proved that he is a potential staple in the team rotation.
