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Olympian Wins Gold Medal Three Years After Being Diagnosed With Cancer

(Photo by Christophe Pallot/Agence Zoom/Getty Images)

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Harry Wilmerding Contributor
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A Candian olympian won a gold medal Monday three years after being diagnosed with cancer, the Associated Press reported Monday.

Max Parrot, a 27-year old member of the Canadian slopestyle snowboard team, won the gold medal yesterday on the third anniversary of his cancer diagnosis, the AP reported.

Parrot first noticed a lump in his neck a few weeks after finishing second at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, and he was later diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, the AP reported. He underwent 12 chemotherapy treatments over six months. (RELATED: TV Ratings Tank For The Olympics In Communist China)

“I went through hell,” Parrot told the AP. “It was the first time I ever put my snowboard in the closet. I felt like a lion in a cage.”

Parrot’s gold medal on Monday marked his 15th victory at the Olympics, World Cup or Winter X Games, according to the AP. Of his 15 wins, 11 of them have reportedly come in big air competitions, and Parrot has another opportunity to win a gold medal on Feb 15.

“By far, the biggest run of my entire career,” Parrot said about Monday’s win.

Nearly nine in 10 people diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma have a five-year survival rate, according to the American Cancer Society.

“It definitely changed me as a person, and as an athlete, as well,” Parrot told the AP. “As a person, I used to take life for granted before and I don’t anymore.”

“So, every time I strap on my snowboard, I appreciate it so much more than before,” Parrot said, the AP reported. “I appreciate being able to do my passion every day.”

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