Making his way along the road to recovery

After cancer battle, it’s taking time to find ‘sense of normalcy,’ get back into routine

In 22 seasons of covering the Montreal Alouettes, I’ve seen scores of players injured, absent for prolonged periods and given it little thought. Sure, I empathized with their plight, especially if it was early in the season, thought of them occasionally — how their absence affected the team — and waited for their return.

Until it affected me.

It will be a year on Aug. 8 since a cystoscope discovered polyps in my bladder, later confirmed to be cancer. Slightly more than five weeks later — what seemed like an eternity — surgery was performed.

I missed three games, all losses, while recuperating and it was almost a welcome break, given the Als’ miserable season.

Three surgeries, two more cystoscopes and nine immunotherapy treatments later, I returned to Molson Stadium for the July 20 games against Edmonton, eight months after going on medical leave and taking mandatory vacation days.

Now, in a small way, I can relate to what those scores of athletes have endured over the years ... the surgeries, treatments, the uncertainty of the unknown, the hospital appointments and, especially, the endless hours spent sitting and waiting to be summoned for the poison being administered into my body to combat this deadly disease.

Time’s the enemy when a patient’s in the waiting room.

Too much time to ponder is never healthy. There’s only so much reading, or staring out the window, a person can tolerate. Instead, you sit and think, or look around at the many others inflicted — many of whom appeared to be in untenable states.

It was late in the 2015 season when Luc Brodeur-jourdain, then the Als’ veteran centre, suffered two torn knee ligaments at Edmonton. Miraculously, after being examined by a team physician, he returned to the field, completing the game, although later admitting it was a pain he had never endured.

Brodeur-jourdain immediately knew, were he to continue his career, he was faced with a long and painful rehabilitation period. And yet, retirement was never an option. He credited his wife for her unwavering support. Not only did she have to care for him, but their six-weekold son.

“I don’t think anything happens by yourself. I barely could walk and was struggling to get out of bed for the first couple of days,” said Brodeur-jourdain, who retired earlier this season and now is an assistant offensive-line coach with Montreal.

“They don’t operate on an athlete to get him back on the field. They do so to put him back into society; to be functional after football,” he added.

It normally takes a player nine months to recover from the debilitating injuries suffered by Brodeur-jourdain. Because he obviously couldn’t run, he chose to swim as part of his recovery.

“It’s like a marathon,” he admitted. “For the workouts, you’re totally by yourself. You’re surrounded by people, but you’re by yourself. You finish the race and are proud of what you’ve done.”

Incredibly, Brodeur-jourdain returned early, but never truly felt comfortable, having missed the critical training camp period, when bonding occurs and positions are won. Also, it became obvious, quickly, he wasn’t the same player — nor would he be.

He dressed for the final 12 games of the 2016 season, but never started. Indeed, he didn’t receive significant playing time until a game at Saskatchewan, Oct. 22. And yet, there were no regrets. He stuck to his decision.

“The question is: How much do you love it?” he said. “If it’s not important, not relevant to you, the quit factor kicks in. You keep fighting because of how relevant and precious it is.”

I returned just in time, after the victory over the Eskimos, for the Als to go on their second of three bye weeks, working only three days last week. Quarterback Johnny Manziel was released during my absence; general manager Kavis Reed and head coach Mike Sherman both fired. It hasn’t been until this week, with practices resuming and a game to cover, that a sense of normalcy has returned. Although it hasn’t.

I’ve felt disoriented all week, undoubtedly as did Brodeur-jourdain when he finally returned. Settling into a routine of travel, sitting under the scorching sun at practice, doing research and finding cogent material to write about has been challenging. Missing training camp was critical. Looking at the team’s depth chart has become more paramount as I think about all the new players who might have no idea who this stranger is sitting in the stands.

I’ll be determined over the coming weeks to know them better and present their stories, attempting to discover what has driven them to excel and reach this level. And the next time one of them lies on the field, injured, a bigger piece of me will feel for them, knowing what they’re about to endure.

Injured athletes, upon their return, talk about having to play themselves into game shape. Please endure with me while I get back into writing shape. It shouldn’t take long.