Chad Brown is a familiar name but a face that has been seldom seen in the past few years. The actor turned poker pro has 30 World Series of Poker cashes to his name and has earned $3,093,531 over his career. When combined with wife Vanessa Russo and her $2,980,325, that’s over six million reasons why their love has been inseparable. As the saying goes, though, “Through sickness and in health.”
Russo broke word on February 19th via Twitter the couple’s heartbreaking discovery of Chad’s cancer.
- “I hate to break this news, but my husband Chad @downtownchad was recently diagnosed w a rare form of cancer. A large tumor was removed yest.”
- “Trying to remain upbeat n positive as we wait 4 final pathol. reprt-due next week. We r currently focused on recovery from his major surgery”
- “The cancer looks like sarcoma. 10 lb tumor was removed from retroperitoneal area in his abdomen. Nothing sure till we get pathology report.”
Brown is truly a class act and a consummate ambassador for poker. He is well-respected amongst the community, as the recent flooding of support on poker forums stands a testament to. With the glass half full, sarcoma has a 60-70% recovery rate, so for a man who has spent a lifetime fading flush draws on the river, Brown has the odds in his favor this time with one card to go.
If there’s any inspiration to be found amongst his peers, it’s from a man everybody knows as “Texas Dolly”. Close to 50 years ago, Doyle Brunson was given a bleak prognosis: the cancerous tumor doctors found in his neck was incurable. The news came shortly after his wife became pregnant with their first child. For a man written off as being as good as dead, the only option left for Brunson on the table was to remove the tumor and prolong his life by a few weeks, a futile effort meant to give him just enough time to see the birth of his daughter.
Brunson would return to the doctors following the surgery, expecting the same verdict as he waited out the days bracing for death. What they found was nothing short of a miracle, as the cancer doctors told him was spreading throughout his body was nowhere to be found. The term was “spontaneous remission” and, similar to lightning, doesn’t tend to strike twice.
On Doyle’s Card Player blog, the big man broke the news earlier this week of his own battle with cancer:
“If you want something to get your attention early in the morning, try getting a call from your dermatologist saying ‘Come back in, we’ve found a melanoma on your left arm.’”
Returning to the MD Anderson Cancer center in Houston, the same place that had served him so well all those years ago, he returned to the table: not for cards, but surgery.
“After two days of ultrasounds tests, blood work, x rays, etc I went into surgery that lasted three hours. I have an eight inch scar where they excised flesh [on my left arm]. I’m afraid Cameron Diaz won’t make anymore movies with me now.”
You can’t keep a good man down, as Doyle maintained his stoic sense of humor even while starring cancer in its eyes. If that isn’t the ultimate poker face, I don’t know what is. In the end, Brunson was told my his health professionals that the cancer hadn’t spread and left his body without a trace. I guess for some people, lightning can strike twice.
“There were thousands of cancer patients in the M.D Anderson Medical Center. I was struck by the attitude and obvious determination of the patients. Even in the more severe cases you could see the resolve to beat this deadly disease. Something like this helps get your priorities straight. Someone caught a two outer at the river against you? Big deal, just be thankful if you have your health.”
Here’s to a speedy recovery and some get well wishes for both gentlemen.
