#Ron Rivera rings cancer bell in ‘inspirational’ video

Ron Rivera got to ring the bell signifying the end of his cancer treatment.

The head coach of the Washington Football Team completed his final round of chemotherapy on Monday, and the team tweeted a video of the traditional milestone of ringing the bell on the wall at Inova Schar Cancer Institute in Fairfax, Va. Medical professionals there gave Rivera a standing ovation while wearing “Rivera Strong” t-shirts as he departed the hospital.

“‘Inspirational’ is casually thrown around, but this is the real thing,” Washington team president Jason Wright tweeted. “The complexities of culture change on a young team, a (weird) NFC East race, a pandemic, while fighting [with] your family, emotionally & physically, on a journey to health… We bear witness to something special.”

The 58-year-old Rivera announced in late August he was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma before undergoing seven weeks of treatment. He has continued to coach and was on the sidelines Sunday for his team’s 25-3 win over Dallas as Washington improved to 2-5 entering its bye week.

Rivera still faces several weeks of follow-up appointments and further tests, but he said after Sunday’s game that doctors have told him he is “headed in the right direction.”

“The fatigue, I told my wife it’s like having a 300-pound gorilla on your back.” Rivera said. “The fatigue, how tired you get, at times you get nauseous. At times your equilibrium is messed around with, almost a sense of vertigo. And then the nausea. It hits you at any time, anywhere.

“But the fatigue, going out to practice, it limited me and that bothers me because I can’t coach the way I coach.”

Several members of the NFL community tweeted support Monday for Rivera, including Washington players Chase Young and Antonio Gibson, as well as the Carolina Panthers, Rivera’s former team.

“Sending our very best wishes to my friend Ron Rivera, who finished his final round of cancer treatment today!” Maryland Governor Larry Hogan tweeted. “And nice win against the Cowboys this Sunday!”