PRO FOOTBALL
With cancer in remission, the Texans’ Andre Hal hopes to return this season.
Andre Hal never relented, never losing faith in his vow that he would beat cancer.
Using traditional and nontraditional treatments, including acupuncture, vitamins and a drug called Rituxan administered at MD Anderson, the Texans’ safety kept hoping that this day would arrive.
After being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in May, Hal was informed recently that he is in remission.
Although Hal remains on the reserve non-football illness list, he remains upbeat that he could be medically cleared to play as soon as this season.
“Without God, I wouldn’t be here today,” Hal said Wednesday at NRG Stadium. “I had my faith in God, but I had my confidence in myself. I just made sure that I did everything I could to beat this.”
Hal leaned heavily on his faith, his family and his teammates during his treatments.
He talked with former Texans offensive lineman David Quessenberry, a cancer survivor who underwent chemotherapy to defeat his illness. He discussed different treatments with Tiffany Smith, the wife of former Texans general manager Rick Smith. She was diagnosed with breast cancer last year.
“I didn’t want to do chemo because I didn’t want to miss this year,” Hal said. “I don’t think people really thought I was going to come back and play, but I kind of knew in my heart that I wanted to come back and play. I tried to do a ‘less harsh’ drug. So, I did Rituxan. I did that once a week for a month and the cancer went away.”
‘I had God on my side’
The initial diagnosis for Hal, 26, came in the spring after experiencing blurry vision at practice.
“When they told me, I wasn’t scared,” Hal said. “I didn’t cry, my mom was on my side, I had God on my side … I was just kind of like, ‘OK, let’s go, I’m ready.’ ”
Hal was diagnosed with nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma in his lymph nodes. Quessenberry had non-Hodgkin T-lymphoblastic lymphoma.
“Unfortunately, I’ve had two teammates who’ve had to go through things like this, but fortunately, I’ve had two guys who I can look to as inspiration for the rest of my life,” Texans defensive end J.J. Watt said. “Anything I ever go through, I can look at these two guys and unequivocally say that I can get through anything.”
Hal was given multiple options by the doctors at MD Anderson before opting to forego chemotherapy.
“This is the best-case scenario that you can imagine,” Texans head athletic trainer Geoff Kaplan said. “He’s had a remarkable response to the medication that he was on.”
Even before Hal got the news that he was in remission, he was feeling stronger.
“To be honest with you, I kind of knew,” Hal said. “I felt it in my body, ‘OK I’m getting better.’ … I was doing all the right things. It was only a matter of time before I got better.”
Kaplan said it’s not out of the question that Hal, who intercepted three passes last season, could return this year.
“I think everything’s on the table,” Kaplan said. “He’s been incredible. From day one, he knew this was going to be the outcome. He never wavered in his faith or his spirit. Every day he came into work, keeping himself in tip-top shape. He did things inside the box, outside the box to assure that he had the best chance to make this a successful story.”
The remarkable recovery from cancer has been an inspiration to his teammates.
They watched Hal running and backpedaling on the side while they practiced. They saw him lifting weights. He has been a fixture of encouragement.
“It’s big just because it shows you that life is so much bigger than football, but he’s still able to come out here and be around the game he loves,” Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph said. “He was always one of the first guys in the building, last guys to leave. There’s no doubt in my mind that if there was anybody who could beat it, it would be him.”
Hal beating cancer didn’t come as a surprise to those who know him best. They saw his daily resolve.
“It was a tough time for his family, for us, his teammates,” defensive back Kareem Jackson said. “It was just a testament to the strength he has, the type of guy he is and it’s definitely a blessing for him to be in remission now. At the end of the day, it’s all about us supporting him.”
An emotional day for the team
Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson’s mother is a cancer survivor.
“Having a teammate now go through the same situation and see him stay positive, see him stay strong, it’s a blessing to me,” Watson said.
Texans coach Bill O’Brien became emotional when he announced Hal had defeated cancer.
“One of those days that just really is bigger than football,” O’Brien said. “Dre’s a very special guy to us here, very special guy to me. Dre never wavered in his belief that he would beat it, and he has.”
As meaningful as it was to his friends that Hal was around, it was even more significant to him to be in their presence. He just wanted to remain a part of the locker room.
“It was very important,” Hal said. “I needed to be around the guys, I needed to feel normal.”
Hal was on the practice field Wednesday conducting individual drills. He looks as muscular and mobile as ever.
Now, he’s awaiting word on whether he’ll get to play again this year.
“That’s something I’m really waiting on the trainers and the doctors to tell me whether they’re going to clear me or not,” Hal said. “I’ve been working out the whole time. I was obsessed. That obsession made me do all the stuff that I had to do. I had faith in God and faith in myself that I was going to beat this.”