Tall Black nears remarkable return after cancer diagnosis

July 3, 2021

Alex Pledger was diagnosed with stage two colorectal cancer earlier this year.

Alex Pledger had been living and playing basketball with cancer for four years before it was finally diagnosed.

He recently finished five weeks of intense chemo-radiotherapy after his shock diagnosis of stage two colorectal cancer in March.

“When I was first told, the doctor basically told me he felt a tumour and then obviously the thoughts start entering the mind about how long has it been there? Has it spread?” Pledger said.

The former Breaker realised something was drastically wrong the night he was diagnosed after a trip to the toilet that would change his life.

“When I went, nothing but blood came out,” he said.

“They started measuring it when I got to the hospital and I lost about two and a half litres [of blood] that they actually measured at the hospital.”

In total, doctors estimate he lost four litres of blood in a matter of hours.

What followed was days of multiple red blood cell transfusions and more tests to determine the tumour location and if it had spread.

“I was actually very lucky because if it was located a couple of centimetres further up from where it was and he couldn't feel anything, it's quite possible I wouldn't be diagnosed yet and potentially it might not be discovered until it was too late.”

And then the most remarkable revelation - he'd had the tumour for four years.

No tests had picked it up and at his age of 34, the symptoms he was suffering didn't point to cancer.

“It actually answered a few questions that I hadn't been able to answer for a couple of years,” Pledger recalled.

“In recent years, I've missed not necessarily games but practices and stuff with this mystery illness.”

Pledger is now eyeing a return as soon as a fortnight away with his beloved Southland Sharks.

“Obviously playing a few minutes in one game doesn't repay what they've done for me over the last couple of months, but if I can give them just a few minutes, that would mean the world to me.”

He'll have another check-up in 10 days and will likely have surgery within six weeks.

SHARE ME

More Stories