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The New England Patriots‘ Brandon Bolden was diagnosed with cancer in 2018, he revealed last week. Bolden broke down the events in a shared Instagram post with CBS Sports.
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The nine-year NFL veteran was diagnosed with a form of carcinoma after the Patriots lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII in 2018. He signed a free agent deal to play for the Miami Dolphins that season before returning to the Patriots for the 2019 season.
Thankfully, Bolden is cancer-free and has been since 2018.
Bolden Discusses the Specifics of His Cancer Ordeal
“I lost the majority of function on the right side of my face and continued to play,’’ Bolden said. “It was just my face. It wasn’t the rest of my body, so I was OK with it.’’
To remove the cancer, Bolden had to have surgery. Many of the pictures in the Instagram post above are from his time in hospital. The 2021 season is just the second with Bolden back on the field for the Patriots. He was one of eight Patriots to opt out of the 2020 season. He joined players like Dont’a Hightower, Marqise Lee, Najee Toran, Patrick Chung, Dan Vitale, Matt LaCosse and another cancer survivor, Marcus Cannon.
Bolden, Hightower and LaCosse are the only three players from the list who are still with the Patriots.
“I don’t ever talk about it. I rarely talk about it,” Bolden said. “It never stopped me from doing anything. It didn’t hinder me from anything. It was just one of those things me and my family dealt with and just kept pushing and kept everything as normal as possible.”
Bolden looks unhindered on the field this season.
At 31 years old, Bolden is enjoying arguably the best season of his career. He has filled in nicely for the Patriots since James White went down with a season-ending hip injury and whenever Damien Harris or Rhamondre Stevenson have needed a spell.
Bolden’s 565 yards from scrimmage are a career best for him.
“Just to show… like… I had cancer and I didn’t think I was going to play another down in the NFL,” Bolden said on Thursday. “Here I am three years, going on four years, after having the surgery and still working strong. It was kind of one of those inspirational type deals for me because that took a lot. It was a lot of naysay from doctors and everything else and then I am here to prove people wrong and grow and get stronger.”
Here is a look at Bolden talking about his cancer ordeal and triumph.
How Big of a Role Will Bolden Play on Sunday vs. the Dolphins
The Patriots are expected to have the full complement of their running backs on Sunday when they play in a rematch against the Dolphins, a team they lost to in Week 1.
Because of that, Bolden may not get a ton of opportunities. With Harris somewhat limited in the Week 17 blowout win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Bolden played on 17 snaps. He had 3 touches that produced a total of 25 yards. No matter what happens in Week 18, according to Patriots salary cap expert Miguel Benzan Bolden “has already played enough snaps this season to earn both of his playing time incentives (10% and 20%). They are worth $150K apiece.”
It’s great to see Bolden not only playing in the NFL, but also achieving and earning.
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