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Teenage Football Player Overcomes Cancer, Amputation
By Miki Fairley 
Youre a 17-year-old football player, enjoying life
and youth. Then you find out you have a rare, dangerous form of
cancer that could claim your life. What do you do? How do you
react?
Jerried Rhodes, at the time an offensive lineman for the
Mansfield, Texas, football team, met this challenge with courage
and a determination that not only would he recover--he would also
play football again.
Jerried's battle against the dreaded disease began in the eighth
grade. Jerried had broken his right foot, and it didn't heal
properly. There were times when the foot would swell painfully for
several months, leaving him limping. However, in the fall of 2001,
the pain had become so severe that Jerried could not complete the
football season.
What was happening? The news turned out to be grim. Jerried was
suffering from synovial sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of
cancer that attacks the joints. This was the cancer that claimed
the life of actor Robert Urich in 2002.
"In 25 seconds, everything changed," said Jerried's mother Rose
Taylor, quoted in The Dallas Morning News May 16, 2002.
"It felt like somebody punched me."
This wasn't the first time Jerried had faced death. When he was
three, he underwent open-heart surgery to correct a previously
undetected birth defect. Surgeons inserted a plastic valve into his
aorta to regulate blood flow. "He should have had a stroke, but for
some reason he didn't," said his mother, quoted in the newspaper
article.
Amputation seemed to be the avenue that would give Jerried the
best chance for survival, and so on January 8, Jerried's right leg
was amputated below the knee.
Jerried's warm heart led him to help another patient, a
12-year-old boy who also lost a leg to synovial sarcoma. "Since the
procedure, Jerried has been in the hospital several hours a day
spending time with his new friend," commented the newspaper
article.
Jerried did not give up his determination to return to a normal
life and the sport he loved. He and his father, Royce Rhodes,
designed a weight-training program that Jerried, using a prosthetic
leg, followed faithfully every day. He returned to school about
two-and-a-half months later. And in September 2002, Jerried played
his first game since the amputation as Mansfield took on Bell High
School in Hurst, Texas.
"Fans who didn't know about Rhodes' condition probably would not
have noticed any difference between the six-foot, 215-lb. lineman
and his teammates," said an article in The Dallas Morning
News September 15, 2002. "Rhodes moved with a slight limp, and
a small portion of his prosthetic leg was visible between his sock
and pants, but otherwise he was just another player determined to
lead Mansfield to victory."
Although his team lost 28-24, Jerried earned an accolade from
Mansfield Head Coach Jimmy Burkholder. "This speaks volumes about
his character," Burkholder said, as quoted in The Dallas
Morning News article. "He's got a heart the size of the
stadium. He's a great kid who's fought through a lot of adversity.
He's going to be a great man."
"Jerried is an inspiration," said Jim Cody, general manager of
New Options Sports, Dallas. "We are more than happy to supply
Jerried with all of his K55 suspension sleeves." And what is
Jerried doing now? He is attending Tarleton State University,
Stephenville, Texas--and still following his dreams. 
Table Of Contents - February 2004
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