Cameron Suafore plays for the Blues in a preseason match against Yokohama Canon Eagles on February 10, 2024 in Yokohama (Kenta Harada/Getty Images)
- Blues rocker Cameron Suafore talks about his battle with cancer.
- The 25-year-old has been on the Super Rugby field this season after having a tumor removed from his back late last year.
- Suafor, who underwent radiation therapy, plans to take a break from now on.
- For more rugby news, check out our dedicated section.
Blues forward Cameron Suafor has cancer and will take a break from playing due to fatigue from radiation therapy.
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“I was recently diagnosed with cancer,” Suafor said in a video posted by the Blues on social media platform X on Sunday, without providing further details.
“I've been undergoing radiation therapy for a little over a month now.''
The 25-year-old lock has continued to feature on the Super Rugby field this season after having a tumor removed from his back late last year.
Suafor had been undergoing radiation treatment for two weeks when he started in the Super Rugby leader's loss to Wellington Hurricanes on March 9.
He made his 20th Super Rugby career appearance a week later, the day after weekly radiotherapy, as a substitute in a win over the Waratahs in Sydney.
“I'm usually pretty energetic in the morning because I just woke up and have a lot of energy,” he explained.
“Usually the fatigue level dips after 12 o'clock or 1 o'clock. I get tired easily,” he said, adding that the fatigue meant he had to take time off from playing.
“Right now, that's the way it is. I can't change the fact that I'm going through this.
“Hopefully I can come back from this fitter and stronger.”
Suafor said when he was first diagnosed, he was in the middle of a full-contact training regime.
“Physically, I was fine. Looking back, I probably wasn't ready to admit, even to myself, that I was going through something like this. Maybe I was in a denial stage. I think so,” he said.
“It took me several weeks to tell my family.”
The Blues are second in Super Rugby, five points behind the Hurricanes, who have a perfect record of seven wins.
