Minnesota Viking's Kenechi Udeze: Professional Atheletes Aren't Immune

Professional athletes are strong. No doubt about it. They undergo the most grueling of tasks, never relenting, never quitting. Yet, even they are vulnerable to the ravaging evil that is disease.

The latest victim? Kenechi Udeze.

Udeze, defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings, was first reported to have some form of leukemia late Monday night by KSTP-TV of the Twin Cities, Minnesota. His 2008 NFL season is hanging in the balance, but more importantly, his life may also be at stake.

For those of you not familiar with leukemia, here is brief description of the disease: 

There are two types of leukemia; acute, and chronic. In acute leukemia, the body loses much of its control to get rid of dead blood cells. This causes a massive build-up of immature red blood cells, which disables the production of healthy blood cells by the bone marrow. Acute leukemia requires immediate treatment before these unhealthy cells spill into your bloodstream, and eventually, your entire body.

Chronic leukemia isn't as urgent as the acute kind, but just as serious. Most chronic cases take years to progress and then can be monitored for a while by doctors to determine the best course of therapy.

Whichever type Udeze ends up having, it's still serious.

What we need to realize is that this can happen to any of us...at any time. Leukemia is impossible to prevent. There are no shots you can take, or pills that you can swallow to make you any less vulnerable. There is no sport you can play to make you any less at risk.

Any disease, for that matter, can hurt you as bad as it can hurt any professional athlete. It doesn't matter your athletic ability, how fast you can run, how many pounds you can lift, or how far you can throw. Everybody is at risk. Disease doesn't play favorites. It is no respecter of persons.

Another example is Miami Dolphin's linebacker Zach Thomas. While he and his wife were driving home from a game in October of 2007, they were hit by another car. This accident ended up causing him to miss the Dolphin's game in London.

It wasn't his fault and it could've happened to any "normal" person. He didn't have the option of laying a trump card entitled "NFL Player." 

My goal in writing this article is for you to have a better perspective on professional athletes. We all adore them, some even worship them. But in the end, all athletes are just regular human beings. 

They have to deal with the same realities and the frailty of life that all of us must deal with every day.