DENVER — Floyd Little and his wife DeBorah hear, read and appreciate the well wishes and support so many have shown as one of the Denver Broncos all-time greats battles cancer.
"I want to thank the Broncos organization, especially Joe Ellis," Little said in a phone call with 9NEWS in reference to the Broncos’ chief executive officer and president. Ellis has financially supported the Little's through the Friends of Floyd Go Fund Me Page.
"So is the quarterback," Little said.
That QB would be Peyton Manning.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame and fans throughout Broncos Country and the NFL have also helped Little battle what doctors at the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Phoenix determined was Neuroendocrine Tumors (NET), a rare cell cancer. Little has stage 2 (out of 3) NET cancer that has metastasized, which means it has spread through his body.
Following a week-long battery of tests, biopsies and exams in Phoenix, Little began a form of chemotherapy treatments last week from his Las Vegas home. Little, who turns 78 on the Fourth of July, is to undergo the chemo treatments every day for two weeks, take two weeks off, and then repeat the process.
After two months of treatment, Little will return to the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix for a full body scan to determine the progress the chemo treatments have made against his cancer.
"The side effects have begun to kick in," DeBorah said. "But Floyd is a trooper and we are keeping everything positive. I’m going to claim it, the treatments are working. He’s weathering the side effects really well."
DeBorah said the Pro Football Hall of Fame, of which Little was inducted in 2010 after his nine-year career as a Broncos’ running back and returner from 1967-75, has been especially helpful in connecting the Littles with health resources during their cancer battle.
DeBorah specifically mentioned Jeremy Hogue, who has formed a partnership with the Hall of Fame to help all former NFL players with the medical process, and Pat Lindesmith, a Hall of Fame senior vice president who checks in with the Littles on a weekly basis.
DeBorah said that during her husband’s health journey, she has been surprised to discover how much his insurance doesn’t cover. This is one reason why a Friends of Floyd Go Fund Me Page had been set up by close friends.
"We want to thank all of the fans who have sent e-mails or text messages, greeting cards, everyone who has made a donation to the GoFundMe page whether it was 5 dollars or 2 dollars, we just really appreciate everyone," DeBorah said. "And we appreciate all of the messages of love, support, prayer and blessings and beliefs in his healing on that GoFundMe page.
"I began yesterday reading the messages to Floyd, so he knows about them. We’re reading each and every message and I will begin posting some individual thank yous to every person on there."
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