“Tru Warrior’s” True Challenge Daughter Has Cancer

Professional athletes, and we the media that cover them tend to get caught up in the day to day minutiae of the playing season, and sometimes forget what?our priorities are. Athlete’s are consumed with winning, (or at least they should be we feel) and we the media are consumed with deadlines, and dealing with men filled with testosterone, and trying to get them to convey some meaningful info to pass along to our audience. There are many times we are so caught up in our surroundings that we truly “can’t see the forest for the trees.” That is until some thing that is far bigger than sports, brings us back to reality. Such as the health of a four year old girl.

In an exclusive interview with the Sacramento Bee Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest revealed that his four year old daughter Diamond has a cancerous tumor on her kidney, and is undergoing chemotherapy treatments at the present time. Diamond had been complaining to her mother frequently about stomach pains, which the family naturally felt was just an upset stomach. The symptoms kept reoccurring, so Artest’s wife took Diamond into the local hospital in Indiana, where the family lives. Diamond was diagnosed with what is referred to as “Grade Three Cancerous Wilms Tumor” that was found on her kidney. She was treated at the Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital, and after one session of chemotherapy has been sent home. The survival rate is said to be 90% in this strain of cancer, doctors are trying to shrink the tumor and?then remove it. Normal procedure in these situations, is to remove the cancerous kidney, unfortunately Diamond was?born with just one.

Artest is currently with the team and playing, however coach Reggie Theus and Sacramento Kings owners the Maloof brothers, realize that Artest will leave to be by his daughter’s side if the situation dictates. Artest says that right now basketball is just not the priority in his life right now that it has had in past seasons. That’s to be expected, Artest has his priorities straight, family should?come first. Artest has been embroiled in much controversy over his NBA career, both on and off the court. But I think that you will join with us here at Slam Dunk Central, sending out our hopes, prayers, and wishes that Diamond makes a full recovery, and goes on to lead a normal, healthy, and long life.