Will Jason Blake's play be affected by cancer? Tue, October 9, 2007
Maple Leafs forward Jason Blake was diagnosed with a type of blood cancer known as chronic myelogenous leukemia on Friday.
"The prognosis, and certainly the expectations of my physician, myself and my family, is that I will live a long, full and normal life," Blake said yesterday.
Blake has been told that the condition has been discovered early enough to allow him to continue playing hockey.
With Blake playing through the disease, do you think it will have an affect on his play? Should his ice time be limited? Have your say in our forum.
first of all here we go again a high priced athlete and we should feel different than the children at sick kids that have cancer. you dont see these young kids with their names spread all over the paper do you..why dont you writers put all the names of the small kids in your paper if your going to put his in.. he is no different than them..
doc, 2007-10-09 16:06:15
Of course it will affect his game. He is just being positive. I wish him the best but these drugs have side effects abd they do effect your stamina. he definitely won't be at 100%. The coaches will decide if his being at 100% still warrants ice time. His biggest concern should be getting cured, not playing hockey. Its Cancer, nothing is for sure with it.
wayne, 2007-10-09 14:27:40
I am a CML patient diagnosed at 38yrs old. I have been on Gleevec since May 2001. If Mr.Blake can tolerate the meds the first 6mths then he should have no problem leading a semi-normal life. Side effects include water retention, diarrhea, nausea however the biggest side effect is joint and muscle pain which in reality will definitely slow down Mr. Blake on and off the ice. Although the medication for this type of leukemia offers great hope, reality is it's still cancer and without a cure, no drug out there can help you return to a normal life. Keep the faith and be strong God Bless.
Rollande Dorval, 2007-10-09 11:51:37
I don't think that his time should be limited if he wants to play and can still play. However I think that we will see that his game play is not what it was before.
Dwain, 2007-10-09 10:29:04
How can anyone except for a physician with a knowledge of this disease and its affects be able to make valid comments? All we know of his condition is what we have read in the columns over the past 2 days. Expert medical opinions? I don't think so.
A normal resumption of play at a regular pace is probably wishful thinking not to say that he couldn't resume after full remission.
Hockey at best is a tremendously challenging sport physically, even for healthy young athletes, let alone at the NHL level. Its the type of game where everyone is one hit away from a career aneding injury. It's amazing to me how anyone who is perfectly fit can play at that level in those conditions on a daily basis 80-100 games a year.
While of course we all wish Mr. Blake the best, its hard to imagine adding a cancer diagnosis and treatment to an already extreme and competitive sport.
God bless Mr. Blake and his family and lets pray that he first beats this thing and worry about the "career" second.
Shnork Souin, 2007-10-09 09:47:54
The answer to your question lies within Jason Blake himself. 17 years ago I went through treatment for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and hardly missed any time at work. Of course, my job didn't demand any great physical exertion, but in Jason's case I believe he will instinctively know how and when to pace himself and will so inform the coach accordingly. The important thing is to keep a positive attitude. Godspeed Jason.
George O'Leary, 2007-10-09 09:44:50
Will Jason Blake's play be affected by cancer?
doc, 2007-10-09 16:06:15
wayne, 2007-10-09 14:27:40
Rollande Dorval, 2007-10-09 11:51:37
Dwain, 2007-10-09 10:29:04
A normal resumption of play at a regular pace is probably wishful thinking not to say that he couldn't resume after full remission.
Hockey at best is a tremendously challenging sport physically, even for healthy young athletes, let alone at the NHL level. Its the type of game where everyone is one hit away from a career aneding injury. It's amazing to me how anyone who is perfectly fit can play at that level in those conditions on a daily basis 80-100 games a year.
While of course we all wish Mr. Blake the best, its hard to imagine adding a cancer diagnosis and treatment to an already extreme and competitive sport.
God bless Mr. Blake and his family and lets pray that he first beats this thing and worry about the "career" second.
Shnork Souin, 2007-10-09 09:47:54
George O'Leary, 2007-10-09 09:44:50