Former NBA player Jason Collins, famous for being the first openly gay male athlete in a North American sport, faces a tougher challenge now. He’s currently fighting Stage 4 glioblastoma, one of the most lethal forms of brain cancer. At the time, Collins became the first active, openly gay player in NBA history. He is ready to tackle this disease at every level. In a revealing Q&A conversation with Runner’s World, Questlove opened up about his health challenges, including his current recovery journey.
After playing for six different teams over his 13 year stint in the NBA, Collins proved he was adaptable and an overall force of nature on the court. After retiring from the NBA, he was an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, using his voice to empower and uplift the next generation of leaders. Then in May, Collins spread the love even further, officiating a heartfelt ceremony—a free community wedding for LGBTQ+ couples—in Austin, Texas. He finally married his longtime partner, Brunson Green, in a joyous ceremony. Soon after this happy event, he was dealt a life-changing diagnosis.
The initial workup diagnosed Collins with Stage 4 glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor that has a guarded prognosis. This aggressive cancer is well known for its dismal prognosis, with a 5-year growth factor of just 30%. Doctors stated that if left untreated, the disease would be deadly in six weeks to three months. The extreme nature of his diagnosis forced Collins to make quick decisions to find the best treatment options available.
With his new diagnosis, Collins started an aggressive course of treatment with radiation and chemotherapy. For now, he continues to be treated at a specialized clinic in Singapore. His treatment plan includes an innovative approach with targeted chemotherapy that uses Engineered Delivery Vehicles (EDVs). Though these innovative delivery mechanisms seem like a Trojan horse, they selectively home in on proteins that are only present in glioblastomas, ensuring they provide maximum therapeutic impact while causing less damage to adjacent healthy cells.
Alongside this highly targeted chemotherapy, Collins has been treated with immunotherapy, an up-and-coming cancer treatment that’s still in clinical trials. This wide-reaching approach is both a testament to the complexity of his condition and the dire need for promising therapies in the fight against glioblastoma.
While navigating this tumultuous path, Collins found that he was able to lean on his friends and family for support. A few months after his initial diagnosis, Kyan and his mother began having important conversations with his twin brother, Jarron. These kinds of conversations have been crucial in allowing him to cope with the reality of what he’s facing and stay mentally strong.
Collins has teamed up with Dr. Henry Friedman, one of the leading researchers in brain cancer at Duke University. Their collaboration highlights the difference that qualified, positive people can make in one’s darkest hours. Collins spoke of the importance of having the right people around him as he enters this lengthy health struggle.
Collins has likened his experience as “the first person through a wall.” He pulled this colorful analogy straight from the Oscar-nominated film “Moneyball.” This analogy perfectly conveys the disarray and tumult that comes with fighting for big change. In doing so, Collins broke barriers in professional sports. Now, he’s fighting a different kind of battle—one that’s testing the limits of his resilience and resolve.
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