Former South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia is currently fighting for his life after being diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer.
The diagnosis came after noticing certain abnormalities, but the hard-nosed former athlete believed he could figure out the problems on his own without a visit to the doctors. His wife wasn’t comfortable with the plan from the quarterback, who used to take snaps for a Steve Spurrier-led offensive attack in Columbia.
Reluctantly, Garcia went in for a colonoscopy, where doctors discovered the cancer and that it had been growing for a number of years.
Unfortunately, Stephen didn’t fully understand the news when it was first administered due to him still being somewhat groggy from sedation.
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Stephen Garcia of the South Carolina Gamecocks looks to pass against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga., on Sept. 10, 2011. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
But when it was finally explained to him how serious this situation was, reality set in pretty quickly.
Obviously, there’s nothing simple about hearing the word ‘cancer’, no matter what stage or form you’re dealing with. It will humble you quickly, with the bleak outlook overtaking the mind.
And although this process to fight the disease will be hard, filled with many obstacles, Garcia was most worried about his family.
While his older son understands the magnitude, he has yet to fully inform his youngest daughter, leading the former Gamecock to shed a few tears while discussing the situation with OutKick on Friday morning.
Former Gamecock has changed his tune amid battle with cancer
In the past, Stephen Garcia wasn’t one to jump aboard the mental health train, seeing it as someone who wasn’t strong enough to handle the circumstances of the battle they faced.
But that is the footballing side of Garcia and he was the first to admit that his thinking had changed because of the stigma surrounding people, most importantly men, who did not feel safe enough to discuss their struggles.
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This problem has led to many downfalls or problems that arise from not talking to others about what they are going through in trials and tribulations.
For Stephen, everything has changed.
“Years ago, I thought mental health was an absolute joke, just to be completely honest with you,” Garcia told OutKick. “I thought if you’re going to have some mental toughness, I played for coach Spurrier, so I had to have some mental toughness to deal with him. But I was also extremely tough-headed. It’s huge. There’s going to be days where you don’t want to go talk to anybody, days you’re going to give up, you’ve got to be mentally open to a whole different tough process. This whole process has opened my eyes.
“People can change. I was against the whole mental health thing, I thought it was stupid. But it’s changed my opinion, my outlook on life in general, and I encourage everyone to speak up. I’ve had so many people reach out to say, if you need to talk, reach out to me. Everyone said the same thing, you have to be mental about it. If you’re positive, if you’re positive mentally, you fall down to get through the feeling. find a way to stay positive on.
South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia throws a pass against Kentucky in the third quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC, on October 3, 2009. South Carolina defeated Kentucky 28-26. (Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports)
Outreach has been overwhelming, with a long battle ahead
After undergoing his first round of chemotherapy this week, Garcia is coming to terms with the battle he faces, though he has a positive outlook for himself and his family. He will continue to train athletes when his body allows and use his platform to encourage others to take their health seriously.
If it wasn’t for his wife pushing him to get checked out, who knows how long it might have been before his cancer was noticed. Meanwhile, the support system has been overwhelming, as Garcia described while choking back tears.
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Stephen Garcia of the South Carolina Gamecocks drops back to serve against the East Carolina Pirates at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC on September 3, 2011. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Whether it’s the Clemson football team or Dabo Swinney himself, and the thousands of people who have reached out over the past few days, it’s not lost on the former quarterback how much the support has meant to his own sanity during uncertain times.
For now, Stephen Garcia is taking his battle against cancer one day at a time. But he’s also got college football fans rooting for him to beat this horrible disease.
