Cancer: The word itself strikes fear to the heart of those who hear it. The pain and suffering that family and friends endure during a fight with cancer is something people do not wish upon their worst enemy.
Baseball, meanwhile, is America’s national pastime. Fans flood the stands to watch their favorite player and boo the opposing team because of a longstanding rivalry.
These two words, cancer and baseball. So distant from each other in meaning and yet, for one San Diego State baseball player, closely connected.
Chad Bible, a redshirt junior outfielder from Valencia, Calif., was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma on Jan. 10, 2017.
During the summer of 2016, Bible had a lump on his neck that eventually spread to under his chin.
Within six months, Bible was diagnosed with the cancer that would change his life.
After tears from his immediate family, it was time to break the news to his teammates, who he shared a sibling-like bond with.
“I could tell that they were more worried for me than I was worried for myself,” Bible said.
But the homecoming that he received after first returning from treatment created another mood swing for his teammates.
“When I came back from my first treatment, back to State, that was pretty awesome,” Bible said. “Everyone stopped what they were doing mid-practice, and that never happens.”
Bible was unable to play for the remainder of the 2017 season, but he still sat and cheered on his team.
During Senior Day last season, then pitcher and teammate CJ Saylor, now of the St. Louis Cardinals, presented Bible with a homemade quilt that was signed by all of his teammates and coaching staff.
“It just showed how much these guys cared about me,” Bible said. “They were in the fight as much as I was.”
The team was there, going through the battles with him, and checking up on their friend and teammate became a priority.
“The biggest thing that we did was put our arms around the situation and supported him and his family through the process,” head coach Mike Martinez said.
Martinez always made sure to keep his players in the loop with what was going on with their teammate.
Whether it was asking and making sure that Bible was doing okay, or cheerfully welcoming him back to the diamond, they did everything they could.
“Whenever I was able to come down and hang out with the guys, they made it appoint for me to be the center of attention,” Bible said. “They made me feel like I was still apart of something.”
Last season, while playing in honor of Bible, the Aztecs finished with a record of 42-21 and made it all the way to the NCAA tournament regionals.
In August of 2017 — less than a year after his diagnosis — doctors deemed Bible cancer free.
“It was the best feeling in the world. I couldn’t stop smiling. I was crying,” Bible said. “Just imagine getting a death note and having it be lifted.”
Bible wasn’t the only one that had a weight lifted off his shoulders.
After months and months of worrying, all of his teammates could take a major sigh of relief.
Senior outfielder Chase Calabuig described Bible’s fight as a testament to his resilience and his will to never give up.
“It just shows that in your lowest of your lows, the grass is always greener on the other side,” Calabuig said. “If you really want to work through something like (Bible) did, you can get through anything.
Bible will know in five years if the cancer has fully left his body, but for now he is in remission, and he will play this season as a starting designated hitter and outfielder.
Throughout his hardships, trials and tribulations, Bible attributes his speedy recovery to his doctors, but also, to everyone that supported him during his journey.
“Thank you, from the bottom of my heart,” Bible said. “The fact that everyone had my back and pushed me to succeed and beat that cancer really meant the world to me.”
