Cancer survivor Hal hopes to play this season
Andre Hal never relented, never losing faith in his vow that he would beat cancer.
With every traditional and nontraditional treatment method, including acupuncture, vitamins and a drug called Rituxan administered at MD Anderson, the Texans’ safety kept hoping that this day would arrive.
After being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in May, Hal was informed recently that he is in remission. Although Hal remains on the reserve/non-football illness list, the 26-year-old remains upbeat that he could be medically cleared to play as soon as this season.
“Without God, I wouldn’t be here today,” Hal said Wednesday at NRG Stadium. “I had my faith in God, but I had my confidence in myself. I just made sure that I did everything I could to beat this.”
Hal leaned heavily on his faith, his family and his teammates during this medical ordeal. He talked with former Texans offensive lineman David Quessenberry, a cancer survivor who underwent chemotherapy to defeat his illness. He discussed different treatment methods with Tiffany Smith, the wife of former Texans general manager Rick Smith. She was diagnosed with breast cancer last year.
“I didn’t want to do chemo because I didn’t want to miss this year,” Hal said. “I don’t think people really thought I was going to come back and play, but I kind of knew in my heart that I wanted to come back and play. I tried to do a ‘less harsh’ drug. So, I did Rituxan. It went through an IV. I did that once a week for a month and the cancer went away.”
The initial diagnosis for the former seventh-round draft pick from Vanderbilt came in the spring after experiencing blurry vision at practice. A magnetic resonance imaging exam revealed there were problems, and further testing discovered lymphoma in his armpit and stomach.
“When they told me, I wasn’t scared,” Hal said. “I didn’t cry, my mom was on my side, I had God on my side so I wasn’t scared at all. I was just kind of like, ‘OK, let’s go, I’m ready.'”
Hal was diagnosed with nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma in his lymph nodes. Quessenberry had non-Hodgkin T-lymphoblastic lymphoma.
“Unfortunately, I’ve had two teammates who’ve had to go through things like this, but fortunately, I’ve had two guys who I can look to as inspiration for the rest of my life,” Texans defensive end J.J. Watt said. “Anything I ever go through, I can look at these two guys and unequivocally say that I can get through anything.”
Hal was given multiple options by the doctors at MD Anderson before opting to forego chemotherapy.
“This is the best-case scenario that you can imagine,” Texans head athletic trainer Geoff Kaplan said. “He’s had a remarkable response to the medication that he was on.”
Even before Hal got the news that he was in remission, he was feeling stronger and thought he was on the road to recovery.
“To be honest with you, I kind of knew,” Hal said. “I felt it in my body, ‘OK I’m getting better.’ I feel great, I don’t feel anything, so I kind of knew that something was getting better in my body. I was doing all the right things. It was only a matter of time before I got better.”
Kaplan said it’s not out of the question that Hal, who intercepted three passes last season, could return this year.
“I think everything’s on the table,” Kaplan said. “He’s been incredible. From day one, he knew this was going to be the outcome. He never wavered in his faith or his spirit. Every day he came into work, keeping himself in tip-top shape. He did things inside the box, outside the box to assure that he had the best chance to make this a successful story.”
Hal was on the practice field Wednesday conducting individual drills. He looks as muscular and mobile as ever. Now, he’s awaiting word on whether he’ll get to play again this year.
“That’s something I’m really waiting on the trainers and the doctors to tell me whether they’re going to clear me or not,” Hal said. “I’ve been working out the whole time. I was obsessed. That obsession made me do all the stuff that I had to do. I had faith in God and faith in myself that I was going to beat this.”
SERIES HISTORY: 33rd regular-season meeting. Colts lead series. 25-7. Colts and Texans split the series last season with Houston defeating Indianapolis on the road to end the season.
