Exeter forward Davis shocked by cancer diagnosis
SUCH is the nature of rugby union, players often tend to think lumps and bumps are part and parcel of the modern-day game.
When you throw yourself full force into collisions similar to that of a car crash, it’s going to leave some sort of impression on the body.
For Exeter’s Aidon Davis, a West Country derby with Bath back in December didn’t seem all that different to the normal for the talented Chief.
“I felt perfectly fine, but I had played a few games and I started feeling a lump on my head,” explained the 29-year-old South African. “I saw the club doctor and initially it was thought it was just something from one of the games. We left it a week, but then after that it hadn’t gone, so that’s when we decided to get it checked.”
Sadly for Davis, the diagnosis was not what he expected as the results confirmed he had Non-Hodgkin lymphoma – a type of cancer that begins in your lymphatic system, where white blood cells called lymground phocytes grow abnormally and can form tumors throughout the body.
“It was a massive shock, not just for me, but for my wife and for my family,” said Davis, who had previously been diagnosed with B-Cell Lymphoma back in 2018, where he underwent three weeks of radiation therapy.
“I had been for checkups and I was clear for two years, so to get the news like that really did shock me.”
With wife, Sune, heavily pregnant expecting their first child, it was a hammer blow for the couple.
Davis, as he showed on the field many times, is a fighter and backed by everyone at the Chiefs and the rugby world in general, he underwent his first bout of chemotherapy in December.
“When the news broke, Rob [Baxter] and the club were brilliant, they handled my very well. They didn’t force anything on me and have been supportive throughout the whole treatment. My goal throughout, however, was to get back playing. I’ve been training at the club when my body allows me and that’s helped so much.
“Going in amongst the boys, living that normal life, it’s what has got me through to now.”
In February, the Davis’ welcomed Aiva Rose into ther world, another beautiful distraction during a tough time.
“Being a father and a husband, it’s the best thing in the world,” added Davis, who this week confirmed he will be returning to South Africa next season to take up a contract with the Cheetahs.
Before then, he aims to finish his stint in Devon on a positive note.
“As I said, the club and the supporters have been fantastic,” said Davis. “Having the boys wear special t-shirts in aid of me the other week for the European game [against Bath], I will never forget that.
“At the same time, I’ve had lots of great memories here at the Chiefs. Winning the Prem Cup last season, playing in the Premiership, playing in the Champions Cup, I’m definitely going home a better player.
“Equally, I’m going home a better and stronger man in myself. The friends I’ve made in England are life-long and I’ll never forget the support everyone has given me.”