Casey O'Brien, Minnesota football's 4-time cancer surviving placeholder | College GameDay

odds are nobody in this room has ever heard of me I really knows anything about my story in fact many of you may be wondering why I'm up here speaking today the odds they've never been in his favor but that hasn't stopped 20-year old Casey O'Brien from defying them I wanted to play football again and I was not going to take no for an answer it turns out the odds have met their match what possessed you to think that you could do this I don't know I mean I've kind of been the underdog for the last five years of my life so could just add to the story growing up my entire life had revolved around sports I was always going from one practice to the next six years ago I had a pain in my left knee that would not seem to go away December 14th of 2013 I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma an extremely rare form of bone cancer it's like I'll be okay I'll be okay and that that was the hardest because we knew it was a very serious situation and he said I'll be okay at 13 years old I was told that I needed a full knee replacement and nine months of chemotherapy and that my football career was now over doctors removed a softball sized tumor from his knee but in January of 2015 they discovered the cancer had now moved to KC's lungs the odds flip on you when you get at the second time you know the numbers yeah numbers are not fantastic have you ever looked at what the numbers are the survival rate No so if I had them right here you would prefer me not to say them to you know I was gonna battle cancer my way and I want to take my life back I want to figure out a way to play football again in my junior of high school I made my return to playing varsity football in our season opening game I held every extra point in a win and checked into the hospital for a week of chemotherapy the following morning that's what he had to look forward to that was his goal that's what got him up every day no doubt in our minds footballs kept him alive later during Casey's junior year at Creighton Durham Hall High School in Saint Paul he overcame a third bout of cancer I know of having a long surgery and had like 60 stitches in my lung and two dislocated ribs and played in our section game eight days later when it came time for college he chose coach PJ Fleck in the hometown Gophers the only FBS program to medically clear him to walk on I told him that I'm not coming at Stan I'm a Cylon I'm coming here to play he's relentless his response mechanism to what has happened to him is not really technically humid the osteosarcoma was also relentless in January of 2018 it returned for a fourth time Casey underwent another lung surgery but didn't miss a snap that spring where are you on the depth chart right now right now I'm a number three holder behind to redshirt seniors you've never set foot on the field during a game not yet we've always dreamed of you know you don't want to do this but faking an injury so you can he can run out there or just you know losing your helmet or something you know crazy like that that shouldn't really happen we've talked about it I don't know if you'll do it but we've talked about it a few times you just got to prepare every day like I'm gonna have a chance to play and we'll get there when we get there have you played it out in your mind at all every night it's played in my head a thousand times Casey spent nearly 300 nights as a patient at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital now the redshirt sophomore spends his days there has a visitor and the reminder of what is possible dear Casey thank you for being an inspiration to me and for giving me hope you are what you wear unreal love fresh I like it this is awesome when you've been there and you can look those children in those eyes they have and say you know never give up don't ever give up it's on a different level it's on a different level and he's so good with those young people he's so good with those kids the wristbands each one is for a different boy or girl or family that I've met in the hospital of those seven wristbands are all of them alive No you knew those kids yeah it's not easy at all I know that it definitely could be me in their shoes I want them to know that when they watch a gopher game on Saturdays that they're right there with me there's a reason why there's survival odds and the reason why their survival odds is is it because someone beat it and that has appeared Casey all the tests scans bloodwork loss of hair chemotherapy has all been worth it because I now know that tomorrow is not promised my name is Casey O'Brien and I am a walk-on place holder at the University of Minnesota I'm also a four-time cancer survivor thank you we're so glad you're watching ESPN on YouTube for more sports and analysis download the ESPN app and for live streaming sports and premium content make sure you subscribe to ESPN plus we'll see you there