Story At A Glance
- Chris Odoi-Atsem was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma in September 2018.
- The disease is fatal for about a quarter of the people who get it, but Stage 2 has a much higher survival rate.
- Odoi-Atsem calls his diagnosis a learning experience and wants to inspire others to overcome their own problems.
There was a time when Chris Odoi-Atsem gritted his teeth through the rigors of soccer like it were any other job. For all of the glamor that comes with the game-day experience, the day-to-day life of a professional athlete can still be filled with monotony. Over the course of the D.C. United defender’s first two MLS seasons, he became acquainted with fatigue and frustration.
“Some days coming into practice,” Odoi-Atsem, 24, says, “I’d be tired and not want to train.”
That mindset changed in September 2018, after Odoi-Atsem awoke one night with chest pain and shortness of breath. Doctors soon discovered a mass in Odoi-Atsem’s chest and diagnosed him with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Odoi-Atsem underwent chemotherapy from October through January. After a nervous few months waiting to see how his body responded, he got the all-clear this past spring. Having made short work of cancer, the Mitchelville, Maryland, native got back on the training field for United with newfound appreciation for his livelihood.
“I can see changes in myself for the better,” Odoi-Atsem says. “I’m just a happier person and more confident on and off the field. I’ve definitely grown — I can tell that about myself, and it’s making me a better person for sure.
“Every day I can come on the field and just be happy to be able to do that… It’s good being out there practicing with my teammates, and I think I’ll always have that appreciation and love for life and the game as I continue my career.”
A first-round draft pick out of the University of Maryland in 2017, Odoi-Atsem made nine appearances during his rookie year with United but logged just 12 minutes during the 2018 season before receiving his cancer diagnosis.
Support
The speedy fullback returned to MLS action May 29 — the day after his 24th birthday — as he started a 3-3 draw against the Chicago Fire at Audi Field. Although quadricep and hamstring injuries limited his availability the rest of United’s season, which ended with a playoff defeat to Toronto FC last month, he played in two more MLS matches and also got minutes with Loudoun United, the team’s second-division affiliate. Even when Odoi-Atsem wasn’t on the field, his presence provided a boost to team morale.
“He just continued being himself,” United goalkeeper Bill Hamid says. “That gave a lot of us just the strength to continue fighting, continue pushing throughout the year because his example showed us that whatever you’re going through, you can handle it and continue with the right mentality.”
Odoi-Atsem drew that mental fortitude from a variety of sources. He credits United’s training staff with helping him manage his body. D.C. teammates Jalen Robinson, Quincy Amarikwa and Earl Edwards, Jr. were a constant source of support. And he had no more inspirational ally than his mother, Pamela, who beat breast cancer a decade ago.
“She sort of knew what I was going through,” Odoi-Atsem says. “Seeing her back at a younger age deal with it with courage gave me motivation with how to handle it.”
Looking to the future
Returning to a soccer career in any capacity made 2019 a triumphant year for Odoi-Atsem, but he is disappointed with the lingering injuries that kept him from playing a more active role for United. He’s confident, however, that a productive offseason of workouts will put him in a strong position to compete when the 2020 MLS preseason kicks off in January.
“I expect to be in here every week,” Odoi-Atsem says from United’s practice facility at RFK Stadium. “Whether that’s lifting, running on a treadmill, getting some practice time in, I’ll be here. I’ve had enough rest, so I’m just focusing on being in the best shape possible going into preseason.”
“We’re just so happy that he’s through this period,” United coach Ben Olsen says, adding that he expects Odoi-Atsem to “play a big part next year.”
As a professional athlete, Odoi-Atsem understands he has a unique platform from which to share his story as a cancer survivor. Last month, he participated in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night event on the National Mall. And he has been in talks with the organization about finding further ways to contribute to the cause.
“Talking to people who have been through the same thing, who knew what I was going through, that helped me a lot,” Odoi-Atsem says. “If I can be that for someone, that would be great.”
So what words of wisdom would he have to share?
“I would tell anybody going through a similar situation to just have faith and stay mentally strong,” Odoi-Atsem says. “You’ll be challenged, but I think you can come out the other side a better person.”