T-Scorp Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/15534342.html tough break for the 24 year old, my prayers to him and is family. Kenechi Udeze of the Vikings has been diagnosed with a form of leukemia, KSTP (Ch. 5) reported Monday night. The station did not reveal the source for its story on its website. It said that Udeze's doctors are trying to determine what grade of leukemia he is dealing with and that it could take several weeks. KMSP (Ch. 9) also reported the news, saying Udeze is at Fairview Southdale Hospital undergoing tests and that he was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester last week. Vikings officials did not return phone calls from the Star Tribune, nor did Ethan Lock, Udeze's agent. Leukemia is a cancer of the blood that starts in the bone marrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Wow that is a shame. Hopefully it will be treatable form. Treatment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Beatings Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Dang... I hope he makes it through this. I'm sure this has pretty quickly put his life into perspective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikesVikes Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 That is very sad. Just hearing it on the radio for the first time right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 The Mayo Clinic is the place to be. I've seen Arabian Sheiks with harems fly in there on their private jets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikesVikes Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 The Mayo Clinic is the place to be. I've seen Arabian Sheiks with harems fly in there on their private jets. I work next to the Clinic. We see them all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha-z Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 I work next to the Clinic. We see them all. My wife works at the clinic, they are very good at what they do. I also go there every 3 months for my diabetes, and they are very well organized! Can't think of a better place to be in this situation. I hope he pulls through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 My wife works at the clinic, they are very good at what they do. I also go there every 3 months for my diabetes, and they are very well organized! Can't think of a better place to be in this situation. I hope he pulls through. They have doctors all over the world they consult with. They are the place to go for a proper diagnosis. Hopefully it will be a treatable form of the disease. I take my mother there and she'd probably be gone if she went anywhere here. They found problems noone here would now to look for in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wirehairman Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Man, that sucks. I agree that he is in an ideal location to receive the best diagnosis and treatment possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted April 19, 2008 Share Posted April 19, 2008 Good news. Udeze reports a double dose of good news By KEVIN SEIFERT, Star Tribune April 18, 2008 Remission. Match. "I had been waiting a long time to hear those words," Kenechi Udeze said Friday night. Three months after being diagnosed with an acute form of leukemia, Udeze has received two doses of good news recently. Wednesday, doctors declared him in remission after a bone marrow biopsy revealed no trace of the disease. Udeze also learned that his older brother, Thomas Barnes, is a 100 percent match for a bone marrow transplant, a procedure they will undergo together later this year. Speaking publicly for the first time since his diagnosis, the Vikings defensive end predicted he would beat the disease and return to football. Appearing at a Winter Park fundraiser for National Marrow Donor Program (www.marrow.org), Udeze looked fit and healthy and said, "I'm perfectly fine." He added: "The last few months have been up and down, but I feel like with my attitude, and the support of my family and friends and everybody here in Winter Park, there is no need to be scared. ''I feel really good about everything that's been happening." Udeze said he was visiting his wife's family in Idaho during the first weekend of February when he began having migraine headaches and eventually a sore neck. He visited an Idaho hospital to be treated for what he believed was a severe sinus infection. Instead, he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, also known as ALL. Upon returning to the Twin Cities, Udeze checked into Fairview Southdale Hospital for 24 days because his dangerously low white blood cell count left him susceptible to infection. A few days later, he was back in the hospital for another five days after a strenuous workout left him with a fever of 105.4. Udeze said he is now "taking it easy" from exercise. Doctors have attributed his progress partly to the conditioning level of a professional athlete; his stamina will continue to be tested as he undergoes chemotherapy two or three times a week until the bone marrow transplant, which has not yet been scheduled. "I tell [people] I have nothing but a cold," he said. "Because that's what it feels like. I'm not feeling down or anything like that. That's the way you have to attack it. You always have to have a good attitude and a good mindset. That's something I naturally have always had. This has been a crazy last three months. With everything that's going on, I honestly feel that everything has been working out for the best." Udeze joked that he planned to try on his football equipment "to make sure it still fits" and said he would "of course" play again in the NFL. Udeze said he has established no timetables for resuming his career. A 2008 return remains unlikely. "That's the least of my worries right now," he said. "The coaches have done a great job reassuring me: No. 1, making sure you're healthy and making sure that you're OK for the next 50 years of your life. That's all we're focusing on. Football is not going anywhere. And just like football, I'm not going anywhere." The next step is the transplant procedure. According to Dr. Daniel Weisdorf, who is treating Udeze at the University of Minnesota, leukemia patients have a 25 percent chance of finding a match among family members. One of Udeze's brothers was a 50 percent match, but Barnes tested at 100 percent. Like Udeze, Barnes grew up in Los Angeles but coincidentally attended St. Thomas University and graduated from law school at the University of Minnesota. He practices law in Denver but has been among the family members who have helped Udeze and his wife, Terrica, and their 4 1/2-month old daughter, Bailey, through treatment. "It's crazy," Udeze said. "I call him 'Foolery' because his name is Thomas. He is a lawyer. He takes things so seriously. He is the true definition of a big brother. Now I've got to think of another nickname. "He knows how important he is to me. He's always been there since the day we found out. He really is one of my best friends." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilthorp Posted April 19, 2008 Share Posted April 19, 2008 I had no idea. Hope he gets better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Swerski Posted April 19, 2008 Share Posted April 19, 2008 I had no idea. Hope he gets better. Same here. Glad to hear the good news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajncajn Posted April 19, 2008 Share Posted April 19, 2008 Here's to him making comeback player of the year in 09. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_bone65 Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 I had no idea. Hope he gets better. Here's to him making comeback player of the year in 09. +100000000000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outshined Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 A good PR move... Udeze out for year, but team pledges salaryMay 2nd, 2008 – 3:41 PM by Kevin Seifert The Vikings placed DE Kenechi Udeze on the non-football injury list today, officially ruling him out for the season so that he can focus on recovering from an acute form of leukemia. Under NFL rules, the Vikings are not responsible for paying his 2008 salary because his "injury" is not football-related. But coach Brad Childress said today that the team will continue to pay Udeze, who is scheduled to earn $807,500 this year. "What he can do is focus on getting well," Childress said. "He's done a great job with that so far. He's been positive. He's been upbeat. What this does is obviously clear his mind of any financial issues, and the organizaton, particularly [owner Zygi Wilf and his family], have taken care of that." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Beatings Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 Glad to see the Vikings doing the right thing with him here. Everyone is hoping and praying for a full recovery for him... regardless of whether he plays another down in the NFL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 (ROTOWORLD) Vikings DE Kenechi Udeze (injured reserve, leukemia) will undergo a bone marrow transplant early next month. Analysis: Udeze didn't have to look far for stem cells - his brother is a 100% match. The post-transplant recovery doesn't take long, so if all goes well Udeze should be in decent shape when he hits the free agent market next spring. (KFFL) Chip Scoggins, of the Star Tribune, reports Minnesota Vikings DE Kenechi Udeze (illness) told KFAN's Dan Barreiro that he will undergo a bone marrow transplant early next month. Udeze has been diagnosed with an acute form of leukemia. He will undergo the procedure with his older brother, Thomas Barnes, who is a 100 percent match. Udeze said post-transplant recovery time ranges from two to six weeks. It's good he can't come back this year so he can focus on recovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikesVikes Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 I heard Udeze speak about this on the radio. Leukemia is going to get their ass kicked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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