Cancer-free Tenorio returning to Gin Kings with higher purpose

NOW CANCER-FREE, veteran LA Tenorio looks forward to returning to basketball “with a higher purpose.”

Mr. Tenorio, whose “Ironman” streak in the PBA ended when he was diagnosed with colon cancer last March, is nearing a comeback after PET scan and last test results showed “no trace of cancer.”

“I am now in remission. Praise God!” the Barangay Ginebra star and current Gilas Pilipinas assistant coach posted on Instagram.

“Now I’m returning to basketball. For the love of the game. This time with a higher purpose. Not as the old LA but hopefully with the new and better version of myself. I hope I can help inspire people through the game of basketball — that life, winning battles, winning championships — are all meaningful not because of the end goal but because of the journey,” he added.

He shared how his own journey was “filled with people I love, people I inspire, people who inspire me and people who prayed for me.”

“It made every hardship, every daily little win, every nervous waiting game, every part of the journey more meaningful. It made everything worth it. It made me realize what I am living for and fighting for,” he said.

Mr. Tenorio will first help Nationals as they embark in the Asiad in China while resuming his own workouts along the way. Eventually, he will rejoin the Gin Kings’ buildup preparatory to his awaited comeback in PBA Season 48 Governors’ Cup in November.

“I can’t wait to touch a basketball again,” he said. “This is my story. And I’m ready to enter the next chapter of my life.” — Olmin Leyba