Kansas City Chiefs' Safety Eric Berry Diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma Illness; Team's Record to Suffer?

The Kansas City Chiefs' past few years have been up and down. This season has exemplified that with high highs and low lows; however, they are currently facing a new obstacle. Star safety Eric Berry has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Yet, the brute remains positive he will overcome the ailment.

Kansas City hasn't performed to their full potential this season with 7 wins and 6 losses. Last season was a different story; the squad showed up to play with a respectable 11 wins and only 5 losses.

However, their good fortune came to an end when they lost the wild card playoffs against the Colts.

A definite contributing factor to their success has been Eric Berry, nicknamed "The Fifth Dimension" (if that tells you anything). Berry was drafted by the Chiefs' in the 2010 NFL Draft and has been stopping plays and delivering powerful tackles ever since.

Sadly, bad news has stuck Berry and Chiefs fans everywhere. Berry has been diagnosed with a rare case of cancer. TMZ Sports reports that even with the realization of such bad news Eric is staying positive:

"Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, which his doctors have described as 'very treatable and potentially curable" through chemotherapy...Berry addressed the situation, 'My family and I are very grateful for the amount of support we have received over the last couple of weeks. I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate all the words of encouragement, the blessings and well wishes...I will embrace this process and attack it the same way I do everything else in life. God has more than prepared me for it. For everyone sharing similar struggles, I'm praying for you and keep fighting!'"

This isn't the first case of a professional athlete coming down with this rare case of cancer either. So, it's good that Berry is keeping his sprits up. According to 2 Paragraphs, others have overcome this illness as well:

"Other athletes who have been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma include Hall of Fame NHL player Mario Lemieux (he made a comeback in 2000) and MLB All-Star first baseman for the Chicago Cubs Anthony Rizzo, who was successfully treated with chemotherapy in 2008."

Are you a Chiefs fan? How do you think they will fair without their star safety? Let us know in the comment section below.