Former Ravens Coach Fights Back Against Cancer
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A former Ravens coach--now head coach for the Indianapolis Colts--is fighting back against cancer.
Chuck Pagano's leukemia diagnosis stunned football fans across the country, and in Baltimore. Now as Kai Jackson explains--he's an inspiration for others.
There is promising news that coach Chuck Pagano is beating leukemia.
As head coach Chuck Pagano watched his Indianapolis Colts win against the Dolphins on Sunday, he was also winning a battle of his own.
"I got circumstances you guys understand it. I understand it. It's already beat. It's already beat," he said.
In his second round of chemotherapy, doctors say the former Ravens defensive coordinator is making progress.
"His leukemia is currently in remission. Which means that when we performed the bone marrow aspiration and looked at it under the microscope we see no evidence of leukemia," said Dr. Larry Cripe.
It's too soon to say the coach is cured. Pagano will undergo two more rounds of chemotherapy then take oral medication for another 18-months, but he's already looking well beyond that.
"My vision: that I'm living, see two more daughters get married, dance at their weddings, hoist that Lombardi several times," said Pagano.
And coach Pagano's doctor believes he will see that vision come true.
After practice Tuesday, more than two dozen Colts players, including former Ravens player Cory Redding, shaved their heads in a show of solidarity.
And Ravens' head coach John Harbaugh says the whole team is proud of Pagano. He showed them a clip of the speech at practice this week.
