Craig Sager was in good spirits following his third bone marrow transplant Wednesday, as his battle against cancer continues.
Everlasting thrill as he receives the donation through his chest!! What a proud moment!!! 💪#Incredible #SagerStrong pic.twitter.com/PuBdsxp3qA
— Craig Sager II (@CraigSagerJr) August 31, 2016
Three transplants, three straight summers spent playing life's version of Chutes and Ladders. pic.twitter.com/DQUXcWWk8R
— Craig Sager II (@CraigSagerJr) August 31, 2016
36 GRUELING hrs hooked up to EXTREME chemo & counting, while also hitting hour 10 of the MASSIVE 2 liter transplant. He's a beast. HOLY HELL
— Craig Sager II (@CraigSagerJr) September 1, 2016
The legendary TV reporter has continued to work sporadically, including the Final Four in Houston and the NBA Finals in June.
Per the AP:
“OK, third time’s the charm,” Sager said moments after the process began.
The 65-year-old Sager has battled acute myeloid leukemia since 2014, and announced in March that he was no longer in remission. […] His son, Craig Sager II, was the donor for his first two transplants, which put the elder Sager into remission for close to a year each time. This time, the anonymous 20-year-old donor was considered a perfect match.
Dr. Muzaffar Qazilbash, Sager’s stem cell transplantation physician, researched thousands of such transplants at MD Anderson over the last 15 years to illustrate just how uncommon Sager’s current procedure is. […] “It’s less than 1 percent of the total number of transplants,” Qazilbash said. “It’s very rare to have three transplants.”