Brandon Bolden reveals he battled and beat cancer in 2018
"It was a lot of naysay from doctors and everything else and then I am here to prove people wrong and grow and get stronger.”
Patriots running back Brandon Bolden revealed Thursday that he battled and beat cancer three years ago.
After New England’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl in 2018, Bolden was diagnosed with epidermoid carcinoma, a form of skin cancer. Following surgery, he temporarily lost function on the right side of his face. He’s been free of the disease since 2018.
There was a time he thought his career might be over, but he ended up playing for the Miami Dolphins that season while keeping the spotlight anywhere but on him.
In an Instagram post, he shared photos of himself during his battle with cancer. He then shared another post and wrote: “A different type of strength.”
“It was just one of those moments where I was messing with my son and my little brother about this, I actually looked in the mirror and I was like, ‘I’ve got my full face back’ and that’s what made me go through the pictures and everything else,” Bolden told reporters.
A nine-year NFL veteran, Bolden opted out of the 2020 season. He’s the Patriots’ third-leading rusher this season and leads the team’s running backs with 37 catches, while also excelling on special teams.
He said he doesn’t talk about his experience much because it didn’t stop him from doing anything or hinder him.
“It was kind of one of those inspirational type deals for me because that took a lot,” Bolden said. “It was a lot of naysay from doctors and everything else and then I am here to prove people wrong and grow and get stronger.”
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