Thank you Charles Barkley.
With all the recent attention surrounding Colin Kaepernick’s decision not to stand for the national anthem, Barkley restored some order in the world by making a special trip to spend time with TNT colleague Craig Sager, who is undergoing his third bone marrow transplant in his fight with leukemia. The story was first reported by the Associated Press.
Sager, 65, underwent his third a bone marrow transplant – something rarely seen in the medical field.
With his wife coming down with a cold and unabe to be at the hospital, Sager needed a buddy and that’s when Barkley stepped in with his touching gesture. Despite being told by his doctors not to travel after recently undergoing a hip replacement, the NBA Hall of Famer explained it was an emergency and made the trip anyways.
Charles Barkley defied doctor's orders to visit friend Craig Sager in the hospital after 3rd bone marrow transplant. pic.twitter.com/wnTtHaWHDj
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 1, 2016
Sager, who has been hospitalized for the past month and likely has another month ahead of him, admitted that he hasn’t had a lot of time to think about the donor. But when he learned of his age, he expressed his gratitude, but did have some lighthearted fun about it.
“My only thing was I was afraid that when he signed up to be the donor, he may have been in some drunk fraternity house trying to impress his date,” Sager told the AP. “And they call him up the next day and say: ‘Want to come down to the hospital?’ and he’s like: ‘What?'”
Luckily for Sager his fears turned out to be unfounded.
“He came through,” Sager said.
“Craig Sager is one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met,” Barkley told the AP on why he made the trip. “We go to see Sager to cheer him up and by the time you leave you’re like, ‘Is anything wrong with him?’ He has the most positive attitude … When you go to try and cheer him up his attitude is so upbeat he cheers you up.”
“Man, life is too beautiful, too wonderful, there’s just too many things,” Sager said. “It’s not just you. It’s your family and kids and all. Fight. Fight until the end. Fight as hard as you can.”
Have to thank Barkley for keeping my Dad company today in Houston as he finished his final prep work & for being there every step. ?
— Craig Sager II (@CraigSagerJr) August 31, 2016
