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Tag: Mike Schmidt

  • Mike Schmidt Recovering From Skin Cancer

    Mike Schmidt Recovering From Skin Cancer

    On Sunday, Mike Schmidt, the Philadelphia Phillies legend and Hall of Famer, announced that he is recovering from an advanced stage of skin cancer.

    Schmidt was diagnosed with Stage 3 melanoma in August, and has since been undergoing rounds of radiation and chemotherapy. Schmidt said he has also underwent two surgeries since his diagnosis. After all of the treatment, Schmidt was proud to say that all of his current scans were clear. “I feel fantastic right now,” Schmidt said.

    Schmidt explained that it was a random trip to the dermatologist that enabled doctors to catch the cancer early on. “I was doing a closing on a house and I had a thing on my hand,” Schmidt explained. “I just went in and said, ‘Can you look at this” and he said, ‘Why don’t I take a look at your whole body while you’re here. Obviously the moral of the story is, everybody, get your skin checked. I think at least once a month, now that I know what I know. I caught it early.”

    Sadly, Schmidt was not able to serve as a guest instructor in the spring, due to his last round of chemo. He was making frequent trips from his home in Florida to his doctors in Massachusetts. However, Schmidt says he will be returning for his regular duties this year.

    Schmidt said that this whole experience has been a major eye opener. He is more cautious about being in the sun, calling it “evil and scary.” The time spent at the hospital also led him to realize how lucky he was that he was able to catch his disease early on. “The older you get … you still carry some sort of invincibility,” Schmidt said, and later added, “the moral of the story is everybody get checked.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Mike Schmidt of Phillies Battled Stage 3 Skin Cancer

    Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt is currently recovering from Stage 3 melanoma and spoke publicly for the first time about it Sunday from Bright House Field, the Phillies’ Spring Training camp in Clearwater, Fl.

    Schmidt, 64, was in camp and discussed his battle with skin cancer, which kept him from being a guest instructor with the Phillies during spring training.

    The three-time National League most valuable player plans to join the club’s television crew to work 13 home Sunday games this season, and to return to camp next year to work with the players.

    The former third baseman was diagnosed with Stage 3 melanoma in August 2013 after he visited a dermatologist for a “crusty little thing” on his hand. The dermatologist decided to give him a full examination and found a mole on his back.

    A biopsy revealed the melanoma was more serious than stage 1, and Schmidt spent the following months traveling between Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston for treatment, and his home in Jupiter, Fla.

    He underwent two surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment.

    Schmidt, who arrived in Clearwater this weekend to begin his second tenure with the Phillies broadcast team, said the most recent scans of his body were clear of skin cancer.

    “It was kind of a rough road for 2 to 3 months – I’m out of it now. I feel fantastic right now,” said Schmidt.

    “I’m a very lucky man,” added Schmidt.

    During treatment, Schmidt’s voice became raspy, he lost his taste buds, and he had trouble concentrating. He said he also had surgery to remove 35 lymph nodes.

    Schmidt said he is taking pills for depression to aid him during his recovery, and that he is feeling fine.

    He said his grandfather had suffered a bout with melanoma that cost him an ear.

    The Phillies said on Jan. 22 that Schmidt was dealing with an unspecified health issue and would not be at spring training so he could ”remain near his doctors.” He had been in camp the previous 12 years, in uniform working with the team.

    The 12-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glover spent his whole career with Philadelphia, starting in 1972 and retiring in May 1989.

    “I’ve done just about everything I can to destroy the cancer cells in my body,” Schmidt said.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Mike Schmidt, Baseball Hall of Famer, Reveals Recent Battle With Advanced Skin Cancer

    Renowned Philadelphia Phillies slugger Mike Schmidt recently announced on Sunday that he had been diagnosed with stage III Melanoma last summer. Schmidt claimed that the cancer is gone, but the Melanoma required him to undergo continuous chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

    According to Ryan Lawrence of Philly.com, The 64-year-old Baseball Hall of Famer decided not to perform his regular duties as this year’s spring training guest instructor because of this health condition. Schmidt had been undergoing his final round of chemotherapy a day after the exhibition games commenced.

    Schmidt said that he found out about the cancer during a visit to his dermatologist because of a spot on his hand. But despite the challenges he has faced in the last couple of months of treatment, Schmidt said that he considers himself “a lucky man” for being able to detect the Melanoma relatively early. Feeling “fantastic”, Schmidt advised the public to have their skin checked by a doctor at least once a month.

    The three-time National League Most Valuable Player looked fit and healthy when he appeared at the Phillies camp in Bright House Field. Careful to avoid the sun’s rays, Schmidt selected well-shaded areas on the grounds to rest under. Although he missed this year’s camp, Schmidt said that he intends to return as an active instructor next year, if his health permits it. In the meantime, Schmidt will join the Phillies’ TV crew as they cover 13 home games this season.

    The most obvious effects of the cancer can be seen (or heard) in his voice. Schmidt said that the two surgeries he went through caused his voice to become raspy and his taste buds to lose their sensitivity. He is currently taking depression medication to aid him in the recovery process.

    Schmidt, who is considered by many as the greatest third baseman of all time, shared that his family has a history of Melanoma. His grandfather, who was also afflicted with the disease, survived it but lost one of his ears in the process.

    Watch Mike Schmidt’s 500th Home Run

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