Chicago White Sox

White Sox Pitcher Rings Bell After Final Chemo Treatment

Liam Hendriks shared his gratitude online following his final chemo treatment

LOOK: Liam Hendriks rings bell after final chemo treatment originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Liam Hendriks road to recovery has fit a huge milestone.

The Chicago White Sox closer posted a video to Instagram of him ringing the victory bell after his final chemo treatment.

"Five months ago my life changed forever," Hendriks wrote on Instagram. "You never think you will be the one who hears “you have cancer” but there I was… in shock and fear not knowing what comes next.

"I started treatment after SO many life altering appointments on January 9th, 2023.

"Every 28 days, I would have another round.

"Every 28 days, I got closer to the PET scan that would dictate how many more rounds there would be.

"Every 28 days, I got closer to this moment.

"These past 5 months have been both the quickest and slowest of my life. Being able to ring this victory bell has been one of the most emotional things I’ve ever done. I cannot thank my team of doctors and nurses enough for coming up with the best medical plan for me. No words can express the gratitude I have for them saving my life."

Hendriks also highlighted the support from his wife and expressed his gratitude. And then he closed with a message to family, friends and fans.

"Your support kept me going," Hendriks said. "You kept me in the right frame of mind to beat this. Your encouragement made a bigger difference than you will ever know. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Before the home opener on Monday, Hendriks shared a message directly with fans on the jumbotron at Guaranteed Rate Field.

“Happy Opening Day Sox fans,” Hendriks said in the video. “Just want to let you know that I’m starting my last round of chemo today, so see you guys on the South Side, soon. Play ball.”

Hendriks announced in January that he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. By all accounts, his treatment has gone well, and Hendriks was spotted several times throwing at White Sox spring training.

The White Sox haven’t put an official timeline on Hendriks’ return to the team, but there are signs they’re hopeful he can pitch again sooner rather than later. For instance, the team placed Hendriks on the 15-Day IL at the start of the season instead of the 60-Day IL.

Lance Lynn spoke a little bit more concretely on a recent episode of A.J. Pierzynski’s Foul Territory podcast.

“We hope to get him back by June if everything is perfect,” Lynn said. “In his mind he’ll be back in May. I was like, ‘Well, we’ll see.’... He goes, ‘Oh, I’ll be ready as soon as they give me the go.’”

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