Washington Football Team’s Coach Ron Rivera Beat Cancer Now, He’s Fighting to Turn a Losing Season Around; Resilience Is Everything

Ron Rivera was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in August 2020 after doctors detected it in a lymph node in his neck. Throughout treatment and recovery he had one thing on his mind: getting back to work.

“I really battled to continue to work and to coach, and that was important to me as far as my mindset was concerned in terms of rehab, try to get ready to go. I think [coaching] really kind of helped me focus through,” Rivera previously told SurvivorNet.

Like any football season, players were injured while Rivera was receiving cancer treatment. But seeing Rivera fight to be able to coach them gave the players a fresh perspective on the hardships they’ve faced in the sport. Rivera even recalled a couple players approaching him and saying, "watching you and seeing you and knowing that every day you were going through treatment, it really just kind of made me realize that the strains and stresses of practice are nothing compared to what you were going through."

The Washington Football Team currently has two wins and double the losses so far this season. Their losing record and unimpressive performances are earning them lots of criticism.

“There was an almost palatable path for this group to have this record and have the vibe be upbeat, not downtrodden, Barry Svrluga wrote after the team’s most recent loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. “That's not the path this team is on, and not close.”

Even beyond the losing record, Rivera has had to deal with many a setback and scandal. Just the other day, one of the victims of the alleged sexual harassment scandal in Washington reported that she and other women had been offered cash settlements to stay silent going forward. And on Oct. 9, news broke that Ron Rivera's head trainer, Ryan Vermillion, had been placed on administrative leave after an alleged investigation by the the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. On top of it all, the Washington fan base was recently angered by the way the organization handled the retiring of the late Sean Taylor‘s number number 21. The team’s former free safety player was tragically murdered in his home in 2007, and the retiring of the star player’s number came as no surprise. The thing that was shocking was the timing because some people felt it was used as a way to direct people’s attention away from all the other negative press going on. Needless to say, there’s a lot of negativity towards the franchise right now, and that’s not what a losing football team needs for a comeback. Still, Rivera is determined to learn from the team’s losses and improve.

“As long as we are showing progress heading in the right types of directions, doing the things that we need to, you feel good about that,” Rivera said this week. “Sometimes you come out of a game and you feel like, 'Man, we just really did not do the things we're capable of.' And that can be very, very frustrating.”

We’ll have to wait and see how the team continues to perform, but Rivera’s ability to keep his head up is inspiring nonetheless.

“It's very frustrating to lose period,” Rivera said. “But if you're going to lose and not be frustrated, you want to make sure you're playing hard, you're giving great effort, and you're limiting your mental, silly mistakes. That, to me, is growth.”

Ron’s Cancer Battle

Ron Rivera shared the news of his cancer shortly after receiving his diagnosis in August 2020 saying doctors caught it in time, and they were optimistic about his diagnosis.

Rivera’s squamous cell carcinoma was a common form of skin cancer. Other types of skin cancer include basal cell carcinoma (the most common type) and melanoma (an aggressive kind of skin cancer).

“The first time I went in, I got chemo and proton therapy,” Rivera said of his treatment for squamous cell carcinoma on the Cris Collinsworth Podcast. “We started the chemo, and that's an all-day event….my radiation was overwhelming… I had a reaction to everything, and that really got my attention.”

RELATED: 5 Celebrities Who Have Battled & Survived Skin Cancer; Protect the Skin You're In

Rivera went on to say he underwent radiation five days a week, and it took a toll, physically. His type of radiation proton therapy uses extremely expensive machines to create a beam that leaves less residual damage to the body, and, in some instances and some kinds of cancers, the results are better than with your standard radiation. The therapy is normally most effective for patients whose cancer has not spread to other parts of the body making it a viable option for Rivera since his cancer was contained to his neck.

Benefits of Proton Therapy

We don’t know exactly what caused Rivera’s cancer, but the leading cause of skin cancer is exposure to the sun, and skin cancer typically presents on sun-exposed areas of the body, like the face, neck and arms. You can lower your risk of skin cancer by taking necessary steps to protect your skin, like wearing sunscreen daily.  And while we might not be outside as much during cooler months, sunscreen should be applied daily, regardless of the season.

Dermatologist Dr. Dendy Engelman explained in an earlier interview the importance of sunscreen year-round.

Melanoma Awareness: Yes, You Still Need to Protect Your Skin In The Winter

“It's a common misconception that people think they only have to protect their skin when they're in the bright, warm sunshine. But the reality is, we can get sun damage at any time throughout the year … even in the cold, wintry months,” Dr. Engelman said. “If we're unprotected for even fifteen minutes a day. If we think about the cumulative effects that has on our skin over a lifetime, it's very real.”

The Resilience of Cancer Warriors

Resilience is not an uncommon trait amongst cancer warriors. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. At SurvivorNet, we get to share these stories of resilience all the time because there’s no shortages of brave cancer warriors holding onto hope in the face of adversity.

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 Ron Rivera. She was first diagnosed with colon cancer in high school and proceeded to beat the disease not once, but twice. 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.

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

“As I've worked through the complex emotions of cancer, I've uncovered some beautiful things: Wisdom. Love. Life purpose. Priorities,” she preiously 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.”

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: Anne McCarthy

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