07 February 2024 , 19:06
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Trent Williams wants to be a Super Bowl champion before he retires but knows that he has already won the biggest battle of his life.
The San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle takes the field on Sunday night against Kansas City, aware that at 35 his chances are running out. But following his close call with cancer five years ago, even playing football again was a bonus.
Williams had a growth removed from his head in 2019 which meant skin grafts from his thigh to repair 30 percent of his scalp, and hundreds of stitches. Doctors had told him to get his affairs in order.
Williams said this week: “It kept me locked in and kept my mind frame, just to even get the drive to get up and go in the gym and chase that dream again.
“It was tough to process it, but when you’re thinking about life and death, football is just a game at that point. It was tough not knowing if I would ever play again, but it was even tougher not knowing if I would see my kids get married and see my daughters graduate.
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“They were young but they could comprehend. As a parent I just wanted to protect their minds. For the most part, we kept it from them and when I was out of the woods and I kind of explained to them.
“My mom was huge. She was there every step of the way, at virtually every doctor's appointment. She showed great faith. I drew a lot of strength from her.
“The support and being able to understand and being there to wipe the tears away and also being there to say ‘hey, it's time to get up. You got to push through it. I know you might not like the way the scars look or what have you, but you're blessed with life. And now you’ve got to get back to normal’.”
Trent Williams has opened up on beating cancer and returning to the NFLHowever, Williams was also left feeling uneasy about the fact he survived. “Whenever I think about it, I just see the word blessed in my mind. And I know that I'm blessed beyond measure. It's very humbling going through the cancer hospital and you see people at different stages there.
“I felt guilty that I was out of the woods and you could see people that weren't. And I didn't know what I had done to deserve a second chance.” After 10 years with Washington, Williams signed for the 49ers and is relishing the final years of his career, including a chance to win it all.
He said: “This is the platform you want to be on. This is the weekend everybody wants to be a part of. It means everything. As a professional, this is a pinnacle. You work to get here. It's incredibly disheartening when you don't feel like you have a chance to be here.
“And for 10 years of my career, this seemed like it would be out of reach. So it's a great opportunity to be here. The way these last four years went for me, I'm grateful to be in this position.”