Chiefs safety Eric Berry back at practice after cancer fight

Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder said Berry went through a battery of tests _ including bone density, orthopedic and cardiac _ to make sure his body could handle physical activity.

Berry was diagnosed with lymphoma in December of 2014 following Week 12 of the regular season after a mass was found in his chest. What an inspiration to the young Tennessee players to have one of the all-time greats in Big Orange history speak to them while he was involved in the fight of his life.

There was a happy ending to Eric Berry’s battle against Hodgkin lymphoma this week as the Pro Bowl safety was cleared to practice with the Chiefs as they opened training camp at Missouri Western State University. “(Berry’s doctors) were pleasantly surprised with his numbers, and we were as well”.

Berry and Reid will address the media following practice on Wednesday to further discuss his condition and football timeline. “Something so small like that can boost your morale when you’re in a situation like that”. We can’t look ahead and say what the future holds.

Berry showed how much of his strength he had recovered by bench pressing 275 pounds five times and squatting 325 pounds five times.

“One of the things Eric and I talked about was just being honest with us about how youre feeling out here, ” Reid said, “and sometimes thats hard for a player to do, especially with his makeup. “Without what my parents gave me, I don’t know that I could have made it through this”.

Regardless of what team you cheer for, you can’t help but feel good about Berry fighting through his tough medical issues and getting back to playing the game that he loves. The Chiefs begin full-squad training camp on Saturday. Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2008 and was successfully treated with chemotherapy, and was later voted to his first All-Star game. Berry subsequently underwent treatment that included chemotherapy and radiation near his offseason home in Atlanta.

-Dec. 10: He received his first chemotherapy treatment.

“Going through chemo is a monster”.

Berry said he was “at a loss for words” when doctors told him he was cancer-free.

There are still many other steps to be cleared before Berry can get back out on the field for the Chiefs, but sports fans wearing any colors should rejoice to see such resiliency. “It’s truly a remarkable thing in our business, in this sport and life”.

“It meant a lot just to see it because I was sitting on the couch watching all the games”. If he can go through individual and then into a team period, that’s OK too. “We’re not going to force him into anything, and we’ll try to be as smart as we can with it”.