Pretty classy.

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/college/football/view/2009_05_16_Mark_Herzlich_faces...

Mark Herzlich faces cancer fight head on
By Steve Conroy | Saturday, May 16, 2009

When Mark Herzlich stepped onto the Boston College campus in the summer of 2006, the linebacker impressed everyone he met with his intensity on the field and maturity off it.

He'll need both of those qualities as he faces the challenge of his life.

On Tuesday, Herzlich was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that is found in the bone or soft tissue and occurs most frequently in male teenagers.

Back home in the Philadelphia area, Herzlich is being treated at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center. He faces a seven-month process that involves eight weeks of chemotherapy, followed by surgery to remove the tumor that was found in his femur and then another 12 months of chemo.

The 21-year-old is using the determination and resolve that has made him a world-class athlete and helped him become ACC Defensive Player of the Year, in his approach to this fight.

"I actually just got off the phone with (Notre Dame coach) Charlie Weis," Herzlich said yesterday. "He had given me a call and he said the same type of thing. He said, "˜We hated game-planning against you because you fought so hard on the field. It's going to be the same way I approach everything in my life, whether it's school or sports or issues in the family. Everything has to be done properly and with passion. That's how I'm going to do this, too."

Herzlich was buoyed by news Thursday that the cancer had not spread.

"It did take a load off my mind," he said. "Just not knowing was difficult. The cure rate is so much lower if the cancer had spread. It was kind of the biggest news we were waiting for. As of now, the cure rate is pretty high."

Herzlich said he started noticing what turned out to be a tumor a couple of months ago.

"I had no thought or idea that it might be something like this," he said. "We thought that it might be just a deep bone bruise and we wanted to make sure the muscle wasn't calcifying or anything like that. We had no idea that it was this."

Herzlich was pegged as a Butkus Award candidate for 2009 and then a high NFL draft pick next spring. He figured to be a high second rounder if he had opted into the draft last month.

But right now, football is on the back-burner.