Marcus Robinson, a former Chicago Bears wide receiver, uses the words “gut wrenching” to describe his reaction when his son, Marcus Jr., was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia eight years ago.
“Any time you hear ‘cancer,’ the first thing you think about is death,” the elder Robinson, now retired, says of his son’s prognosis at age 10. ‘[You think] he only has so much time.’”
Robinson’s helplessness was palpable when the doctor delivered the news to Robinson and his wife, Keyomi, on April 19, 2015. He went to the hospital’s garage, sat in his car and cried.