Miraculous Recovery For 340-Pound NFL Player Trent Williams– Dominating Again After Beating Cancer

And though Twitter users were claiming that Williams was giving defenders clues about which plays were coming via his stance, a producer for Niners Nation promptly shut down the allegations.

“Williams has allowed one sack and opponent stuff this season. He's continued his all-everything level of play,” Kyle Posey wrote. “It's fair to bring up his stance as the majority of us don't know enough about offensive line play, but the people that have lived and played the position don't believe it's an issue.

“I'll side with them.”

As far as having a history of superb playing goes, Williams is one of the best offensive players in the league. Just last year, he was even chosen as left tackle for the 2021 All-Pro Team. And though we have a ways to go before NFL awards season this year, The Athletic NFL staff mentioned him during their vote for the 2022 midseason All-Pro Team offensive tackle selections.

“[Andrew] Thomas finished ahead of perennial Pro Bowl selection Trent Williams, who despite missing three games with an ankle sprain, remains one of the NFL's best left tackles,” the report reads.

Playing such a high caliber of football is impressive in and of itself, but it’s even more impressive considering all that Williams has overcome in recent years.

Trent Williams’ Cancer Journey

When Trent Williams found a bump on his head in 2014, he "immediately called the trainer and booked a doctor appointment the next day." He was told by the doctor for his former team, the Washington Commanders, that he had nothing to worry about and that it was just a cyst.

But "the cyst" only continued to go grow. So, Williams finally laid down the law in 2019 and refused to take "no," for an answer.

"I went in the training room and closed the door and said, 'You're gonna call the doctor right now,’" he said on the “I Am Athlete” show.

Williams was finally sent to a specialist who removed the lump. It was indeed a tumor.

Cancer Research Legend Urges Patients to Get Multiple Opinions

Even then, his doctors insisted it was probably benign. Williams went in to see an oncologist, who was allegedly shocked that the athlete's team hadn't done anything about the bump on his head years earlier. Williams was then finally diagnosed with a cancer called dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP), a rare type of skin cancer that starts in connective tissue cells in the middle layer of the skin (dermis).

"Probably 99 percent of the time those doctors (who examined Williams) would have been right," Dr. Richard Reidel, a medical oncologist at Duke University Cancer Institute, told SurvivorNet of Williams’ very tough disease to diagnose. "It's not uncommon for these to be misdiagnosed as something else, because they are so rare."

RELATED: Should Team Doctors Have Found Pro Bowler Trent Williams' Rare Cancer? Experts Tell SurvivorNet Misdiagnosis Is Common

The young father was then told by another doctor to "spend as much time as possible with your children," as his days were numbered and he needed to "get his affairs in order."

Finally, Williams finally caught a break upon discovering that his cancer had not metastasized through his skull, and he would be able to undergo treatment. Today, he is cancer-free.

"I'm blessed man, I'm blessed," he said.

Williams wasn't able to sue his former team because of a "stipulation" in the league's agreement. But the top offensive lineman was traded to the San Francisco 49ers and is happy to continue performing at the most elite level.

Tackling a Rare Disease

For some cancer warriors, community oncology provides great treatment options. But for people with rare cancers, more specialized care may be required. In that case, the most effective place to find a specialist is often at academic centers and comprehensive care centers.

In a previous conversation with SurvivorNet, Dr. Kenneth Miller, director of outpatient oncology at the University of Maryland's comprehensive cancer center, explained what differentiates a "comprehensive cancer center" from other treatment providers.

Seeking Care at a Comprehensive Cancer Center

"Pretty much automatically, there's going to be a team approach [to your care]," Dr. Miller said. "Surgical oncology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, and all the support servicesand also wonderful pathology and radiology."

Dr. Miller added that at a comprehensive cancer center, all of these different specialists work together as a team to help you find the best course of treatment for your specific kind of cancer.

"We call it a tumor boarda group to go through all the details of your case… so you get a group of very smart people coming up with a plan together that is hopefully optimal and gives you the best chance of doing well."

Clinical trials are also an option to consider when dealing with a rare disease. These research studies compare the most effective known treatment for a specific type or stage of a disease with a new approach.

Dr. Beth Karlan, a gynecologic oncologist with UCLA Health, previously told SurvivorNet that clinical trials can play an important role for some patients' treatment, but they also serve a larger purpose.

"Clinical trials hopefully can benefit you, but is also providing very, very vital information to the whole scientific community about the effectiveness of these treatments," Dr. Karlan said. "We need everyone to be partners with us if we're ever going to truly cure cancer or prevent people from having to die from cancer."

That being said, it's important to remember that clinical trials aren't for everybody. And going into a study does not necessarily mean you'll receive better care than the standard treatment.

If you want to search for clinical trials on a user-friendly site, try SurvivorNet's new A.I. driven tool built on top of clinicaltrials.gov: the SurvivorNet Clinical Trial Finder. This tool is updated daily and gives users access to more than 100,000+ individual clinical trials to help them find treatment options.

The Importance of Advocating for Your Health

Whether you are currently battling cancer or worried that you might have it, it's always important to advocate for your health. Cancer is an incredibly serious disease, and you have every right to insist that your doctors investigate any possible signs of cancer.

And, as we saw in the case of Trent Williams, it's always crucial to speak up about any changes to your health even if you don't think there's anything sinister behind them.

Be Pushy, Be Your Own Advocate… Don't Settle

"Every appointment you leave as a patient, there should be a plan for what the doc is going to do for you, and if that doesn't work, what the next plan is," Dr. Zuri Murrell, director of the Cedars-Sinai Colorectal Cancer Center, told SurvivorNet in a previous interview. "And I think that that's totally fair. And me as a health professional that's what I do for all of my patients."

In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, April Knowles explained how she became a breast cancer advocate after her doctor dismissed the lump in her breast as a side effect of her menstrual period. Unfortunately, that dismissal was a mistake. Knowles was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer at age 39. She said the experience taught her the importance of listening to her body and speaking up when something doesn't feel right.

I Wanted My Doctor To Like Me, Then He Missed My Breast Cancer

"I wanted my doctor to like me," she said. "I think women, especially young women, are really used to being dismissed by their doctors."

Figuring out whether or not you actually have cancer based on possible symptoms is critical because early detection may help with treatment and outcomes. Seeking multiple opinions is one way to ensure you're getting the care and attention you need.

Another thing to remember is that not all doctors are in agreement. Recommendations for further testing or treatment options can vary, and sometimes it's essential to talk with multiple medical professionals.

The Resilience of Cancer Warriors

Here at SurvivorNet, we get to share stories of resilience all the time because there's no shortage of brave cancer warriors holding onto hope in the face of adversity and achieving amazing things.

RELATED: 6 Cancer Survivors Tell Us How They Stay Hopeful During Difficult Times

Danielle Ripley-Burgess, a two-time colon cancer survivor, is another resilient cancer survivor like Trent Williams. She was first diagnosed with colon cancer in high school and proceeded to beat the disease not once, but twice.

How to Cope When Recurrence Rattles Your Faith At The Age of 25Two-Time Colon Cancer Survivor Danielle Ripley-Burgess Shares Her Story

Understandably so, Ripley-Burgess has had to work through a lot of complex emotions that came with her cancer journey. Even still, she's always managed to look at life with a positive attitude.

"As I've worked through the complex emotions of cancer, I've uncovered some beautiful things: Wisdom. Love. Life purpose. Priorities," she previously told SurvivorNet. "I carry a very real sense that life is short, and I'm grateful to be living it! This has made me optimistic.

"Optimism doesn't mean that fear, pain and division don't exist they do. Our world is full of negativity, judgment and hate. Optimism means that I believe there's always good to be found despite the bad, and this is what my life is centered around."

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She moves through life with a sense of purpose unique to someone who's been faced with the darkest of times. Happily in remission today, she's determined to, one day, leave the world better than she found it.

"We can choose to stay positive, treat others with respect and look for the light in spite of the darkness," she said. "This type of attitude and behavior will lead to the kind of legacies I believe all of us hope to leave."

Contributing: Marisa Sullivan, Joe Kerwin

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