Max Parrot of Bromont, Que. (File Photo).JONATHAN HAYWARD/The Canadian Press
Canadian Olympic snowboarder Max Parrot of Bromont, Que., has been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a form of cancer.
Canada Snowboard made the announcement Thursday, saying the 24-year-old was diagnosed on Dec. 21 after undergoing a biopsy 10 days earlier. He will miss the remainder of the 2018-19 season.
“The first symptoms appeared when I started scratching my skin repeatedly in the fall, it started all the way back in September,” Parrot, a five-time X Games champion, said in a statement. “And then, in November, I realized I had a bump on my neck, I had a swollen gland. I saw my family doctor and he sent me for a biopsy. I received the diagnosis a few days before Christmas, confirming that I had Hodgkin lymphoma.
“It was tough to hear the news, and it’s still hard now. But at first, the most difficult for me was to realize that I would have to put an end to my season. When I missed the Dew Tour in mid-December, it was because I had to undergo the biopsy and it was a challenging time because I had never missed a single competition in seven years. And it won’t be easy to stay at home these upcoming months because I’m used to travelling at this time of year. But I have a new type of challenge to take on, this is a new kind of competition I must face, and I intend to do everything I can to win.”
A slopestyle silver medalist at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games, Parrot said he underwent his first of 12 chemotherapy sessions last week.
“The word cancer is scary, as is the treatment that comes with it,” Parrot said. “But I have great people around me, I have a lot of real positive energy with my family and my friends. My sponsors are also supporting me in this. I have an awesome medical team and I have all the confidence in the world in the work they are doing. My sport psychologist and my coach also help me make sure that my morale is good, so that I can fight this as best I can.”
Each year in Canada, approximately 900 people are diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
It is a cancer of part of a person’s immune system and is most often seen in people between the ages of 20 and 40.
Former Pittsburgh Penguins star Mario Lemieux was diagnosed with the disease in 1993 and returned to play later that season.