Mark Herzlich is living his dream. The linebacker and special teamer for the New York Giants was a star linebacker for the Boston College Eagles and received national attention for his fight with Ewing's Sarcoma, a former of cancer, which he overcame to return for his senior season at BC and eventually make his dreams of playing in the NFL come true.
Naturally, when he was stricken with cancer, doctor's did not believe Herzlich would ever be able to play football. Yet here we are, a little over a week away from Super Bowl XLVI (which Herzlich may play in), and he is on the NFL's highest stage.
"Two years ago I was in a hospital chair getting chemo, so it's a big turnaround," Herzlich said. "It was about keeping a dream alive, and this was always the dream. To maybe play in a Super Bowl, it's unreal. It was really about never being satisfied with what I was told wasn't possible. It's cool, because it's the same mentality our team has. Everybody in this room truly believed we could make it here and now truly believes we can win." (via WEEI)
Of course, despite being a local fan favorite, it's understandable that football fans in these parts would root for Herzlich's team to fail come Super Bowl Sunday. After all, they are playing the hometown New England Patriots.
As for Herzlich's condition, he is working his way back from an ankle injury that kept him inactive during the NFC Championship Game, but said he is "fine" (per the WEEI report above) and is ready to play in the Super Bowl if he is activated.
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