Former Kentucky WR Chris Lewis Battling Bone Cancer

Nick Roushby:Nick Roush•03/13/24•

RoushKSR

Chris Lewis was a heralded recruiting win for Kentucky. When the former four-star talent got lost in the wash amid a talented wide receiver room, he followed his primary recruiter, Jon Sumrall, to Troy. He emerged as one of the nation’s most prolific touchdown catchers in 2023, all while playing with a cancerous tumor in his leg.

Lewis shared with Pete Thamel that he felt tightness behind his left knee at the start of the season. He worked it out and played through it. The pain worsened near the end of the season, but he held off on receiving an MRI until after Troy won its second straight Sun Belt title. Lewis received multiple scans, then bad news from doctors. The mass behind his knee was an aggressive malignant tumor, known as osteosarcoma.

“I was just lost,” he told ESPN. “How did that happen? I was lost for words. It was a lot of questions.”

Those questions were answered with a treatment plan. He’s currently in the middle of a 10-week round of chemotherapy at Children’s of Alabama in Birmingham, not far from his hometown of Pleasant Grove. He’s scheduled for surgery in April, followed by another round of chemotherapy.

Lewis learned the news the same week Jon Sumrall departed to take the head coaching position at Tulane. Sumrall has kept tabs on Lewis, while the wide receiver’s new coaches have visited him in person as he fights the aggressive cancer.

“This is going to get very much real for him and us,” said Gerad Parker, the new Troy head coach who also played college football at Kentucky. “I just wanted to have an intimate conversation so everyone was aware.”

A tall task lies ahead for Lewis. He’s asking for support with medical expenses on GoFundMe. Any help is appreciated.

He created highlights and scored 10 touchdowns, ranked among the top 25 nationally, all with a tumor in his leg. Lewis is optimistic he can return to the field and continue chasing his NFL dreams.

“If I can play, I’m playing,” Lewis said. “It just really depends on what kind of recovery I have and how long that I have to recover before the season. If they clear me right before the season, I may sit out so my body can be in the best condition. If I have some months to train and get my body ready, I’ll be out there.”

Discuss This Article

Comments have moved.

Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.

KSBoard

2024-04-27