SoonerShark
8/26/2008, 07:28 PM
http://newsok.com/wayman-tisdale-has-part-of-his-leg-amputated/article/3289043/?tm=1219795930
By Jenni Carlson
Staff Writer
Wayman Tisdale had the lower part of his right leg amputated Monday.
Diagnosed early last year with cancer, the Oklahoma basketball legend has been fighting the disease ever since. The surgery to remove the lower part of his leg is expected to eradicate the cancer.
"I have complete faith that with the Lord's blessings, this surgery will eliminate the cancer from my body," Tisdale said in a release.
In Feb. 2007, Tisdale broke his right leg when he fell down a flight of stairs at his Los Angeles home. While examining that injury, doctors discovered a cancerous cyst just below his knee.
Repeated biopsies were inconclusive, but after almost five weeks, tests finally determined that the mass was malignant. He was diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
Tisdale had the cyst removed, had knee replacement surgery, then began chemotherapy.
"The hardest thing for me ... was when the doctor told me that I was going to have to take it easy for awhile," Tisdale said earlier this year. "I was like, 'I don't know how to take it easy.'"
After retiring from basketball in 1997, Tisdale turned his attention to his love of music. The smooth jazz guitarist made records and toured around the country.
His cancer forced him to cancel 40 or 50 tour dates last year, but around Christmas, he returned to the stage.
Now, he will take off time to recover but expects to return to the road this fall. He has plans to host the "Smooth Jazz Cruise" next January.
"There's a lot more music inside me," he said, "and once I am back on my feet, I look forward to sharing my joy with my fans, friends and fellow musicians."
Tisdale rose to stardom at Tulsa Washington High School, then became a three-time All-American at OU. A member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic team that won a gold medal, the versatile big man spent 12 years in the NBA.
He never suffered a major injury during his basketball career.
By Jenni Carlson
Staff Writer
Wayman Tisdale had the lower part of his right leg amputated Monday.
Diagnosed early last year with cancer, the Oklahoma basketball legend has been fighting the disease ever since. The surgery to remove the lower part of his leg is expected to eradicate the cancer.
"I have complete faith that with the Lord's blessings, this surgery will eliminate the cancer from my body," Tisdale said in a release.
In Feb. 2007, Tisdale broke his right leg when he fell down a flight of stairs at his Los Angeles home. While examining that injury, doctors discovered a cancerous cyst just below his knee.
Repeated biopsies were inconclusive, but after almost five weeks, tests finally determined that the mass was malignant. He was diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
Tisdale had the cyst removed, had knee replacement surgery, then began chemotherapy.
"The hardest thing for me ... was when the doctor told me that I was going to have to take it easy for awhile," Tisdale said earlier this year. "I was like, 'I don't know how to take it easy.'"
After retiring from basketball in 1997, Tisdale turned his attention to his love of music. The smooth jazz guitarist made records and toured around the country.
His cancer forced him to cancel 40 or 50 tour dates last year, but around Christmas, he returned to the stage.
Now, he will take off time to recover but expects to return to the road this fall. He has plans to host the "Smooth Jazz Cruise" next January.
"There's a lot more music inside me," he said, "and once I am back on my feet, I look forward to sharing my joy with my fans, friends and fellow musicians."
Tisdale rose to stardom at Tulsa Washington High School, then became a three-time All-American at OU. A member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic team that won a gold medal, the versatile big man spent 12 years in the NBA.
He never suffered a major injury during his basketball career.