By Adam Hollingworth
Martin Crowe has announced he'll be treating his cancer like a long innings in a test match.
The scorer of 17 test centuries revealed this week that he has lymphoma, but he's since been told it's very treatable.
Crowe’s mate of 37 years, former All Black Grant Fox, says Crowe is down but certainly not out.
“He's now into a mode where, you know, how do I win? How do I beat this thing? So he's doing his homework, making the changes necessary and he knows he's got a battle on his hands but he knows how to win,” says Fox.
In a news release titled ‘This is a comeback worth doing’, the 50-year-old former cricketer revealed his specific condition is a blood disease called follicular lymphoma, non-Hodgkins. It's grade two, mid-stage, growing slowly, treatable and not aggressive.
“It may have been there for some time, and a patient with it, you know their lymph nodes often increase and decrease in size, but you know these are very responsive to treatment,” says haematologist Prof Peter Browett.
In his statement Crowe says two decades of cricket tours helped compromise his immune system - he contracted salmonella, had it for four years, and then got glandular fever.
"What I now put into my body and mind from here on in is the key to taming the disease and enjoying a quality life ahead,” says Crowe.
"Most of all my mindset and fierce focus has kicked in just like it did when approaching a long innings in a test match."
Crowe says the treatment will be decided after more tests and consultation in the next two weeks.
3 News