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This 21-year-old college football player beat cancer for the fifth time

The University of Minnesota placeholder announced on Friday that he had completed his final round of chemotherapy.
Credit: KARE
Casey O'Brien is a red-shirt sophomore place holder for the Gopher football team.

MINNEAPOLIS — Casey O'Brien has inspired many through his story, and on Friday, he added yet another motivating chapter.

O'Brien, a redshirt sophomore on the University of Minnesota football team, shared on Twitter that he went through his final chemotherapy session, marking the fifth time he's beaten cancer.

O'Brien was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of bone cancer, when he was a freshman at Certin-Derham Hall. After years of treatment, and four successful bouts with the disease, O'Brien joined the Gophers as a walk-on placeholder.

He made his collegiate debut this past season in a 42-7 win over Rutgers, where he was also named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week.

Credit: AP
Minnesota Golden Gophers punter Casey O'Brien (14) holds the ball for an extra point kick during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Rutgers Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019, in Piscataway, N.J. (AP Photo/Sarah Stier)

 

After being cancer free for nearly two years, O'Brien announced in late November that doctors found a spot on one of his lungs and it would require surgery to remove it.

The surgery was successful and O'Brien continued his treatment en route to beating cancer for the fifth time. 

Credit: KARE
Megan Wagner and Casey O'Brien walk the halls together.

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