Sanderson Shows Survival Instincts on Field, Too
by Matt DaSilva | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff | Team Canada 10, Team USA 9
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Muscle movement on Chris Sanderson's right side has been weakened by the Dec. 2008 removal of a malignant brain tumor on his left frontal lobe -- affecting his speech and forcing him to adjust how he plays the goalie position. © John Strohsacker/LaxPhotos.com |
MANCHESTER, England -- Chris Sanderson should
be dead.
But there he was Saturday, standing askew in the Canadian cage as
he corralled 100 mile-an-hour shots like Team USA was just blowing
bubbles at him. He shaded his right not as a ploy to bait those
shooters, but rather to compensate for damage done to his brain in
December 2008, when he had a malignant tumor removed from his
frontal lobe.
It was then that doctors told Sanderson he had nine to 12 months to
live.
Two years later, the former Virginia goalkeeper and Pennington,
N.J., resident is playing in his fourth career world lacrosse
championships--– and giving Team USA fits again.
Sanderson stonewalled the U.S. on Saturday with 11 saves, blanking
Team USA in the second quarter of a 10-9 victory in the preliminary
round of the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World
Championships at the University of Manchester.
“It’s a testament to the human spirit. Even for him to
be here is just incredible,” said Team Canada attackman John
Grant Jr., who scored two of his three goals in the fourth quarter
to front Sanderson’s effort. “The guy’s been
playing amazing, some of the best lacrosse I’ve ever seen him
play. He’s an inspiration to me and everyone else
here.”
Said Sanderson: “Getting back here was one of the goals I had
set. I spoke at opening ceremonies. I got up there and was like,
‘That’s not enough.’ I’m here to do this
again.”
“Do this,” as in win a world title. Canada has now won
two straight against the U.S. after ending a 28-year drought with a
victory in the 2006 gold medal game. Saturday marked Team
USA’s first-ever loss in an international preliminary. The
SAU.S. dropped to 14-3 all-time against Canada.
Since undergoing brain surgery and radiation, Sanderson has endured
a battery of established and experimental cancer treatments.
“Every month, I feel terrible for 10 days” from
chemotherapy, he said. His gums bleed because of a drug he takes
intravenously. “But I’ve got a great family and this
[Team Canada] family right here makes it all worth it. It’s
nothing.”
Sanderson’s Wikipedia profile says he’s retired. Since
leading Canada to that 2006 title, his only time on the lacrosse
field had been as a moonlighting attackman in an over-35 league in
Philadelphia. He’s 33.
The prospect of returning for Canada’s gold medal defense
became real in May, when MRIs and PET scans came back showing no
advancement of his cancer. Since Sanderson takes blood thinners
(high blood pressure is the side effects of one of his cancer
medicines), cardio went out the window. He hit the gym and focused
on getting back in the cage, where he soon learned his
limitations.
“The cancer was in my frontal lobe on my left side. It
controls the right side of my body. So my speech is a little bit
off, and my right hand and foot are a little bit weak,” he
said. “Physically, that’s one of the biggest challenges
getting back in the goal. I had to adapt my style to play to the
off side.”
Sanderson’s brother Ryan, like Chris a former NLL pro, had
moved to Pennington, N.J., soon after his diagnosis (Sanderson
couldn’t drive for eight months). So there was a readymade
shooting partner around the corner.
“I was more prepared for this than I was at any of the other
world championships,” Sanderson said. “Coming in I was
seeing the ball well. I thought my positioning was good. I changed
my style a little bit, and it seems to be working. We got it
done.”
Sanderson frustrated Team USA’s sharpest shooters. Brendan
Mundorf was held to one goal and Max Seibald to one assist less
than 24 hours after they scorched Australia for a combined 11
points.
“He’s got a great story,” said U.S. team
co-captain Kevin Cassese. “Off the field, he’s a great
guy. You certainly feel for him. But once you step on the field,
he’s the opposition. He’s a competitor and he played
great tonight. He stepped up in a big-time moment. You give him all
the credit in the world.”
