Chuck Pagano finished his final round of chemotherapy on Tuesday, the Indianapolis Star has reported. Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia on Sep.26 and had to go through three rounds of chemotherapy treatment.
On Nov. 5 it was announced that Pagano was in remission.
It has been said that Pagano could return for the Dec.30 season finale against the Houston Texans – and that is still the case according to Dr. Cripe, saying that the decision will be made jointly by Pagano and the organization.
“I’m fully supportive and I have my fingers crossed that he’ll be there on the sideline if that’s where he wants to be,” Dr. Larry Cripe of IU Health Simon Cancer Center said Tuesday evening.
“Things are going well,” he said. “He’s received all of the chemotherapy he was to receive. Now it’s just a matter of over the next couple of weeks recovering back to health. He can start conditioning and moving towards what he wants to do, which is return to coaching.”
During Pagano’s leave, interim coach Bruce Arians has coached rookie quarterback Andrew Luck and the team to an 8-4 record with four games left to play. The Colts play the Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Texans again to round out their season.
During Pagano’s recovery the team and fans used the hashtag #CHUCKSTRONG to support their coach – many members of the team shaved their heads in support of Pagano, including two cheerleaders. The Cheerleaders raised money for leukemia research and upon making the goal, shaved their heads.
