Former NFL linebacker Bryan Braman is “in the fight of his life,” battling a rare and aggressive cancer, according to his agent.
Braman, 38, was a special-teams standout for the Houston Texans (2011-13) and the Philadelphia Eagles (2014-17), highlighted by a Super Bowl LII championship with the Eagles in his final game.
Since being diagnosed in February, Braman has undergone multiple surgeries during his ongoing treatment in Seattle.
“At Stellato Sports, Bryan Braham has always stood for strength, resilience and leadership,” agent Sean Stellato told Houston’s KPRC 2. “He is a pillar and a staple of the underdog. Now, in the face of cancer, he embodies those qualities more than ever. If there is one person that I know that can beat cancer, it is Bryan Braman, who I have always considered family. He’s in the fight of his life. Please support Bryan and keep him in your prayers.”
A GoFundMe page set up to help with his medical expenses had raised more than $65,000 as of Saturday morning.
“With the cancer that Bryan has, which is a VERY rare form of cancer, treatment had the highest chance of success as the cells are reprogrammed to fight this cancer that is within Bryan,” wrote Braman’s friend William Jones, who set up the GoFundMe page. “His cells did re-infuse themselves and did in fact start reproducing within his bone marrow. At first, the mass did start to shrink, but then the cancer started fighting back. At this point, Bryan has had to start having chemo treatments that are designed for the treatment program Bryan is in. Bryan has had to undergo several surgical procedures.
“The main problem has been that Bryan has not been able to recover from the procedures because of his lowered immunity due to all of these treatments. By the time he was able to recover so he could continue with the chemo, the cancer has grown exponentially faster, and is now growing around his vital organs. The doctors are now concerned because of his treatment, his chemo options are very limited. They have tried all of the various treatment options, and unfortunately, none of them are working against this cancer. But Bryan has not given up. He is looking into other trial treatment programs, and is determined to never give up.”
A native of Spokane, Wash., Spokane went undrafted out of West Texas A&M in 2011. He finished his career with 56 tackles, 1.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries in 97 games.