Posted by Will BrinsonJeremy Maclin's absence -- and his "mysterious illness" -- has hovered above Eagles camp. Good news was expected on Tuesday, but it wasn't until Wednesday evening when the wide receiver revealed that he's dealt with a "cancer scare" for the past few weeks.
The scare began on May 11 when a scan -- designed to follow up on heavy weight loss among other symptoms -- found "enlarged and hot" lymph nodes. Now, the receiver is cleared, based on what he told Jay Glazer of FoxSports.com Wednesday.
"That's first and foremost, I want everyone to know I'm fine, I'm healthy," Maclin said. "I was tested for everything, and every single test came back negative. I don't have mono, I don't have AIDS, leukemia — all the things people were guessing on, there was nothing. I was being tested for lymphoma and thank God everything has come back negative."
Maclin also noted the precise reason why he kept any news about his health out of the public -- he wanted privacy as he dealt with the possibility of a very serious disease and the battery of tests that accompanied such a fear. He also noted how the Eagles treated him less like an employee during the process, and more like a son.
"I wanted to keep it private until I knew for sure what was going on, and the Eagles were amazing," Maclin said. "They were one of the only ones who knew. My relationship with them is more than professional. They were like family during this."
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Wednesday, doctors called him and informed him that the tests had cleared him of any illness -- Maclin told Glazer that the scare was "all caused by an inflammatory virus."
The Eagles are expected to release a statement on Wednesday evening and Maclin is expected to return to practice soon, though he said he has to wait a bit longer until he's "healed from the procedure last week."
He'll likely have some catching-up to do, based on the fact that he spent his offseason being tested for life-threatening diseases and undergoing constant medical exams.
But that's okay, because the wide receiver has -- understandably -- a new lease on life.
"Man, I don't wish this on anybody. I look back at my whole life, I've already gone through so much," Maclin said. "I already appreciate where I am and appreciate the game of football. I can't wait to get back out there and just resume my normal life."
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