Former University of South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia provided a hopeful update amid his battle with stage IV cancer.
“Got some pretty solid news last night. We are completely cancer free,” Garcia, 38, wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, November 11. “Everything has been taken out with negative margins.”
He added, “I can’t express my gratitude towards everyone. The constant checking in, thoughts and prayers, support, and donations! It means the world to me and my family.”
Garcia — who played quarterback for the Gamecocks from 2008 to 2011 — announced he was diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer in May.
“It’s been amazing to see the messages of success stories from others as well as people telling me that I’ve inspired them to quarterback their own health,” his post on Wednesday continued. “That’s why I’ve been so open and vocal about this. Going to continue to try to inspire folks and spread the message. Again, thank you everyone and will continue to keep everyone updated!! Love yall!!”
In a video from his hospital bed accompanying his Instagram post, Garcia said his doctor checked his pathology results right in front of him.
“The margins on the lungs are negative,” he said in the video. “The lymph nodes were clear. All of the cancer is completely out of me. Extremely thankful for him and his team.”
Garcia admitted, “I cried like hell yesterday. It’s taking everything in my power not to cry like crazy right now.”
Looking ahead, Garcia vowed to “stay the course” and noted he has at least one more procedure on the horizon to “keep this damn thing out of me.”
“That’s what the hell we’re gonna do,” he said. “We may do a couple rounds of chemo just to zap and clean anything that might be floating around just to make sure this thing is done.”
Garcia concluded, “It’s been a hell of a journey. To go from stage IV and having it all over the place to it being completely out of my body is just unbelievable. I just want to thank you guys for all the thoughts and prayers, constantly checking in, constantly giving me words of encouragement and support. It’s invaluable.”
The former quarterback explained that his wife, Masha, was responsible for him getting checked out after “sporadic stomach pain” led to him making unusually frequent trips to the bathroom.
“It was definitely a shock,” Stephen recalled of his diagnosis during an interview on the Today show in September. “But I think it was just like, ‘What’s next?’ I wasn’t going to sit there and be like, ‘Well, I guess I’m dead.’ It’s like, what are we going to do? What’s the game plan? How are we going to beat this thing?”
Stephen said of his wife, “She probably did save my life.”
