Former WSU center Riley Sorenson beat cancer once, now he's determined to do it again
Former center Riley Sorenson got an outpouring of support from Washington State fans when he revealed last year that, while dealing with the deaths of both his parents, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
Sorenson had surgery last summer and his cancer went into remission long enough for him to play out his senior season with the Cougars. But on Thursday night, Sorenson and his long term girlfriend, Elisabeth Haffner, both announced via Twitter account that his cancer has returned.
Sorenson’s story struck a chord with many people, and he was awarded the Wayne Gittinger Inspirational Award at the MTR Western Seattle Sports Star of the Year Awards banquet in February. He was also honored with the 2016 Pac-12 Sportsmanship Award last May.
Sorenson has already completed his bachelor’s degree, but he remained in Pullman after graduation to train for a shot at the NFL, and also volunteered as an assistant offensive line coach during WSU’s spring practice season.
As was the case the first time around, Sorenson’s announcement elicited an outpouring of support from his former teammates on social media:
https://twitter.com/throwitupto9/status/878121402741686272
Even former WSU defensive line coach Joe Salave’a — who’s now at Oregon — tweeted his encouragement.