Rams Player Brings Cheer to Cancer Patients Cedars-Sinai Skip to main content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Menu Close Call 1-800-CEDARS-1 toggle search form Close Los Angeles, 23 December 2019 09:39 AM America/Los_Angeles Rams Player Brings Cheer to Cedars-Sinai Cancer Los Angeles Rams Offensive Tackle Chandler Brewer knows firsthand how cancer patients feel. Photo by Cedars-Sinai. The Los Angeles Rams' Chandler Brewer greeted patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment at the Samuel Oschin Cancer Center last week, offering hugs and his own inspiring story of cancer survivorship. The tall, burly 22-year-old offensive tackle with an easy smile and eagerness to engage met individually with several patients in the cancer infusion center. He told the story of how he handled learning about his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis about two years ago, before his senior year of college. He discovered a lump on his leg during football practice, and at first dismissed it. How could a young, fit athlete have anything serious to worry about, he thought. At the time, he served as team captain and a starter for the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. To his surprise, he found out that he had a rare form of cancer, a diagnosis that stopped him in his tracks. Not long after that, he got a correct diagnosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer that originates in the lymphatic system-the disease-fighting network spread throughout the body. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is more common than the other general type of the disease-Hodgkin lymphoma. Undeterred, Brewer continued to play throughout his chemotherapy, which helped him maintain a positive attitude, he said. "It was tough, but I tried to stay upbeat during the time I had treatments," said Brewer, who grew up playing football in Alabama. "It helps to stay positive, and to share your own story with other people. I know I feel the energy in the rooms of patients I visit." Earlier this year, Brewer joined his Rams teammates for a visit to Cedars-Sinai, when he also connected with patients in the cancer infusion units. Among those he chatted up was Hannah Lottenberg, 20, who had wrapped up an appointment with her physician. The two cancer survivors exchanged stories for 10 minutes. Lottenberg, a college student, emerged from their private conversation with a big smile on her face. That reaction was contagious as Brewer made his rounds. "It's crazy that I get to do what I love," Brewer said, referring both to playing professional football and engaging with patients with whom he shares common life challenges. "I want to talk about cancer as a teaching moment, to help take away the fear," Brewer said. "Being able to do this is a no-brainer," Brewer added. "I wouldn't miss this for the world." Read another story about the power of positivity on the Cedars-Sinai blog: Climbing Beyond Cancer Related Stories RSS feed - Related Stories (opens in new window) View all headlines - Related Stories Cancer Patient Sails Again September 19, 2022 06:00 AM America/Los_Angeles Jeannea Jordan, who turns 80 in October, is a local sailing pioneer who began racing and cruising her 30-foot sailboat 25 years ago when few women were part of the sport. When a tumor on her spine ran her aground last year and her oncologist at … Read more Study Active Surveillance an Effective Option for Thyroid Cancer September 15, 2022 08:01 AM America/Los_Angeles A novel clinical trial from Cedars-Sinai Cancer shows that active surveillance is an effective treatment for many low-risk thyroid cancer patients. The study, published in JAMA Oncology, also showed for the first time that patients who opted for … Read more Study Patients Prefer Stool Test to Colonoscopy September 12, 2022 10:00 AM America/Los_Angeles Three-quarters of people prefer to do a fecal immunochemical test (FIT) rather than a colonoscopy for their regular colorectal cancer screening, according to a new Cedars-Sinai study.Unlike colonoscopies, FIT doesn’t require lengthy preparation, … Read more Show previous items Show next items Contact the Media Team Email: [email protected] Contacts Soshea Leibler Soshea.Leibler@cshs.org Share this release Rams Player Brings Cheer to Cedars-Sinai Cancer Share on: Twitter Share on: Facebook Share on: LinkedIn Search Our Newsroom Social media Visit our Facebook page (opens in new window) Follow us on Twitter (opens in new window) Visit our Youtube profile (opens in new window) (opens in new window) Latest news 07 Oct 2022 - HealthDay: Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries 07 Oct 2022 - Faculty Publications: Sept. 29-Oct. 6 07 Oct 2022 - Fine-Tuning Organ-Chip Technology 06 Oct 2022 - KCRW: Want New Omicron Booster? Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot 05 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Schedules Free Flu Vaccine Clinics 04 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Showcases Hispanic and Latinx Art Newsroom Home