D.C United defender and former University of Maryland player Chris Odoi-Atsem has been diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma, United announced Tuesday.
Odoi-Atsem, 23, will leave the team to receive four months of chemotherapy at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.
The Mitchellville, Maryland native played for four years with the Terrapins and was United’s first-round pick (12th overall) in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft.
“I feel truly blessed to have caught this disease at any early stage and have a medical team that is confident that I will make a full recovery,” Odoi-Atsem said in a statement. “I want to use my situation to raise awareness and help others in similar situations who are going through their own individual battles.
“This is only temporary, God will see me through and I will be back to where I’m supposed to be: on the soccer field.”
In the U.S., more than 86 percent of people diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma survive five years or more, according to the National Cancer Institute. Stage 2 is one of the earlier stages the cancer can be caught.
United general manager Dave Kasper said Odoi-Atsem has the team’s “unwavering support.”
“He is physically and mentally strong so we know that he is well-equipped to overcome this,” Kasper said in a statement. “The experienced medical staff at MedStar were able to discover it at an early stage and are optimistic that this is highly treatable.”
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.