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Sparta teen basketball player rebounds after cancer battle

Sparta teen basketball player rebounds after cancer battle
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SPARTA, Mich. — After being diagnosed with cancer 11 months ago, 16-year-old Sparta basketball player Griffin Gullekson is now in remission and crediting the sport he loves for helping him recover.

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Gullekson was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin's Lymphoma last September. His father, Jeff, recalls that his son's immediate concern wasn't about the disease itself.

"He looks up, he just goes, 'What about basketball?' I mean, in September, he's thinking up for the upcoming JV season for Sparta basketball," Jeff Gullekson said.

Griffin underwent surgery to insert a port for chemotherapy treatments, which presented an obstacle to playing the sport he loved.

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"The doctors told them, with that port being in place, he is not going to be able to play basketball, because if that port were to get hit with a ball, hit with an elbow, you know, fall and crack, you're going to have to go in for another surgery," his father explained.

The treatments took a significant physical toll on the young athlete.

"It took a big effect on my body. I mean, I started to lose a lot of strength, like I started becoming a lot skinnier. By February, I went from 170 down to 131 in weight," Griffin said.

Despite these challenges, in December, Griffin's doctors permitted him to play in a JV game for Sparta, even with his port in place, while undergoing chemotherapy and having lost his hair.

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"Seeing his face, that was the first time since that September 10, when we got that diagnosis into the 11th, that there was a light, there was a light on his eyes, and they said, you can play," Jeff Gullekson said.

For Griffin, basketball became therapeutic during his cancer journey.

"There's some days I couldn't even get out of bed, that's how much pain I was in after chemo, like, and then when I got on the court, that just made me feel like I'm back to my normal life for a little bit," Griffin said.

Former Detroit Piston player, Lindsey Hunter, and his foundation became involved with Griffin's journey and invited him to start an elite basketball team in Sparta.

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"Him, letting me create my own AAU team, going to play tournaments around Michigan, and we did play one in Chicago, too. So that was amazing of him to do that for me," Griffin said.

Now cancer-free and gaining strength each day, Griffin offers encouragement to other young people facing similar battles.

"It's not a forever thing. You'll see it'll be over at some point. Just keep pushing through yourself. Do what you love," he said.

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Griffin plans to continue building his strength and hopes to play varsity basketball for the Spartans this winter.

For more information on the Lindsey Hunter Foundation, CLICK HERE.

Sparta teen basketball player rebounds after cancer battle

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