I thought things were coming together for the football team. вЂњAt first, it was kind of like, вЂWhat?вЂ™ Then I began to get angry because things had gone really well. вЂњHe goes back into his lab, comes back in five minutes and goes, вЂCoach, you have cancer,'вЂќ Rivera said. Rivera, then 58, initially wondered if it was strep throat and visited his doctor, who prescribed an antibiotic, and he departed for vacation as planned.Д«ut the lump remained upon his return in July, so RiveraвЂ™s doctor set up a variety of tests, including a biopsy. Then he felt a swollen gland on his neck while he was shaving. His team just capped a productive offseason with a strong minicamp in his first year as WashingtonвЂ™s head coach, and his family was readying for a vacation to California. Rivera was in a good place in the summer of 2020. вЂњI didnвЂ™t look at him as Ron Rivera the coach,вЂќ said Matt Dell, who Rivera reached out to last year. Now, heвЂ™s there for people facing the same fear and uncertainty he did, whoever and wherever they are. Rivera got fan mail from around the world, food from former players and messages from friends near and far. His brothers would wake up before the sunrise in California to make sure he knew they had his back before each round of chemo and radiation. His wife and kids were there for every step and uplifted him when he needed it. Rivera appreciated the value of a quality support system after he announced his cancer diagnosis in August 2020. вЂњI truly consider him a friend,вЂќ Palmer said, вЂњand I look forward to meeting him this spring or summer and shaking his hand and thanking him.вЂќ And as he fought and overcame cancer, his doctors traced his newfound positivity to that conversation with Rivera. The treatment was wreaking havoc on his body and his day-to-day life.Д«ut that one phone call - which led to an ongoing text conversation and ultimately a genuine friendship - redirected PalmerвЂ™s outlook. Sleeping for upwards of 20 hours per day, Palmer could barely eat or drink. Palmer, now 50 years old, was three weeks into a seven-week radiation schedule and about halfway through his chemotherapy when he first spoke to Rivera. вЂњHe was supporting me and letting me know IвЂ™m going to be fine, telling me the process and the steps, how itвЂ™s going to get worse before it gets better - but itвЂ™s going to get better,вЂќ Palmer said. He felt a purpose to help others tackle cancer the same way that family, friends and even strangers helped him. And only months earlier, Rivera overcame his own battle with squamous cell carcinoma.

Only a day earlier, Rivera learned of PalmerвЂ™s cancer battle through a mutual acquaintance. It jolted the sleepy Palmer, who had never met the Washington Commanders head coach and most certainly didnвЂ™t have his number stored in his phone.

The smartphone technology identified the caller: вЂњRONALD RIVERA,вЂќ the screen practically shouted.

He was exhausted on that June 2021 morning, completely zapped of all his energy after another round of radiation to treat the cancer that had ravaged his neck and tongue, and he wasnвЂ™t even sure heвЂ™d still be awake by the time his friend arrived a few minutes later.ДЄnd then, unexpectedly, his cellphone rang. Just to the left of the tall glass doors of the sunlit Canopy hotel lobby in downtown Philadelphia, Ken Palmer was on a couch awaiting a visit from a friend.

Unbeatable synonym