Oct. 26 (UPI) — Two months after he was diagnosed with a form of skin cancer, Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera finished his final round of cancer treatment.
Rivera received his last round of chemotherapy and proton therapy Monday at a northern Virginia hospital, marking the end of his seven weeks of treatments. The former Carolina Panthers coach still has a few more weeks of follow-up appointments and scans to monitor his progress, but Monday marked a key milestone for Rivera.
In a video released by the team, Rivera walked through a line of cheering staff members as he left the hospital. The staffers waved pom-poms, threw confetti and made noise with rattlers while wearing black “Rivera Strong” shirts.
Rivera then rang the bell and raised his left hand to acknowledge the staff members, signaling the end of his treatments.
The 58-year-old Rivera announced in late August that he had squamous cell cancer but doctors caught it in time and were optimistic about his prognosis. On Friday, Rivera said he was informed that the cancer was “headed in the right direction.”
Rivera missed two practices and had to leave early during a third session while undergoing treatments, but he never missed a game.
“We all admire his toughness,” said Washington defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, who replaced Rivera during those practices. “He’s obviously in a big battle, a personal battle. We all feel for him. We pray for him a lot.
“We seek to kind of carry on. He’s laid out a great blueprint for us to follow. I’ll step in and do my part to help him rest assured that he can take care of himself and we’re going to carry on the business here while he’s taking care of himself. His toughness and his determination, it really stands out.”
Rivera and the Washington Football Team earned a blowout win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. After a bye week, Washington (2-5) will play the New York Giants on Nov. 8