Hockey World Cup 2023: Dennis living a dream after health scare

Netherlands player, who's a reserve, happy to wear jersey and help side, especially after battling rare cancer that threatened to cut short his hockey career a few years ago 
Hockey World Cup 2023: Dennis living a dream after health scare

ROURKELA: "I'm a guy with a story," Dennis Warmerdam smiles. It's near the end of a 10-minute conversation with The Netherlands player when he offers this. It's a story that includes not knowing what his medical condition was, learning he was suffering from a very rare cancer, an unsuccessful chemo, surgery, a hospital suggesting amputation and doctors telling him he wouldn't be able to play the sport again. But Warmerdam, who's one of the reserve players with the side, didn't give up. He tried everything. He even gave up red meat because he had read — 'I don't even know if it's a rumour or something like that,' he says — that consuming it makes the tumour worse.

Even as he narrates his story of going to hell and back over a 24-month period, he is proud of the place he has managed to reach now. "That's something great and I really tell myself that 'everything can happen if you really work hard for it'. My biggest thing is that I'm enjoying every moment. Enjoying this big event, it's really nice."
While he has mixed feelings about being in the touring party but not in the first 18, he's loving the experience of being able to wear the jersey. "It's something I had dreamt as a little boy," he says. "Then, 4-5 years ago, I was really far from it. After I came back, I became an even better player and I'm now in the national team. A bit mixed when I was named in the squad because I'm a reserve. But to travel with the team to the World Cup is a dream and I'm enjoying it." 
There was a period of time in his life when he was devoid of experiencing that feeling. The forward, who picked up gold in the European juniors in 2014, starts his harrowing story. "I had suffered from pain for more than two years but I didn't know what it was. I had different scans and different surgeries because it was a really rare type of cancer. But because of all the surgeries, the tumour exploded. It was getting worse because we didn't do the right things. In the end, after two years of searching what it was, a big bomb... cancer.
"They (one of the hospitals he went to) spoke about amputation (his arm). I had cancer in my right lower arm. Didn't know what to do. I had chemo and it didn't work out. Then, I went to a different hospital. They took muscles and skin from my leg, you guys can see it (proceeds to show his thigh), they created a new arm (with) the muscle of my leg and the skin of my leg (shows his heavily scarred right arm). They created a new arm, the first win was I could actually move all of my fingers. The hospital didn't expect me to play hockey again. But then, yeah. I'm playing at the highest level and nobody expected it. Sometimes, I have to tell myself that 'it's true, I'm here'."
The Bloemendaal-based player calls it a 'medical miracle' at one point. When you have been through the experiences he has had, it's easy to become philosophical. "I always believe that the more fit you go into a surgery, the fitter you get out of it. I started to train for surgery. These are the things that you can do because 99% of this medical miracle, let's put it that way, it's just luck. The only per cent I had influence on I really tried to (use that) in a good way. Maybe luck can happen.
"When I knew it was not life-threatening anymore, the worst case scenario was amputating your arm, so the problem was only in the arm. I just told everything 'try to save your arm. Otherwise, go for the Paralympics.' There are always different options. But always try, it's okay if it doesn't work out."
Once he knew it was going to work out in the end, he started putting things in place to ensure he would be in shape to get back to the sport as quickly as possible. "From the moment I was diagnosed with cancer till the surgery, it took about six months. I recovered really fast from the surgery because I was fit. I was trying first to lift an empty glass, then put water in it and try again. I was really focussed on recovery and I think, after surgery, it took me four months to take the stick. Then, one year later, I played my first match for my club (Pinoke). So, one-and-a-half years I was out of hockey but out of that time, I trained for five months so that I could be fit and strong (when I came back to playing)."
He's visibly upset because he's not likely to feature at the World Cup but he readily concedes that he has a role to play off the field, away from the cameras. "Guy with a story, always smiling, always giving energy. The guy that can help the team outside the field, in the dressing room. Just talking with the guys, there's still a role for me."

Irrespective of whether he takes the field or not — reserve players could be drafted if and when the need arises — it's some story. If he does take the field, his arc will be complete. For he will have experienced everything from death of a dream to living his dream.

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