Physical Therapist Sean White Has Stage 4: 'I Have A Bonus Life'

Esther Lee's favorite coaches, White, Serena, and Venus Williams, find the strength to work while treating terminal cancer.

Esther Lee felt like she had a bonus life. The favorite physiotherapist of elite athletes like snowboarders Sean White and Serena and Venus Williams was diagnosed with part 4 pancreatic cancer in July 2020-which means it's late stage and has a one-year life expectancy-but nearly two years later, she's feeling more vital than ever. Month.

Lee, 44, was a private physical therapist in Los Angeles in 2009 when he first worked for Serena, he told Sports Illustrated in a new interview. Serena told the publication that she "instantly fell in love with Lee" and "literally asked immediately" to work with him and Venus full-time. Lee toured with them for six years before deciding to settle in Los Angeles, where he met White.

"He became like a dear friend," White told SI. "He has a great view of everything. He's the person I would turn to for advice on careers, relationships, whatever." When Lee White called to say he had been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer, they burst into tears.

"'What now?' "White said he asked Lee, 'Is there any hope? Dare I hope?'" But Lee wasn't convinced at the time he had a melon-sized tumor on his breast and lesions in his lymph nodes, liver, and spine. Only 1% of patients survive the last five years; on average, the patient lived for a year, and Lee's tumor was five times the patient's size although it turned out to be neuroendocrine, meaning it was slightly more aggressive and slower to spread.

Doctors removed Lee's tumor and spleen and found complications in his lungs that delayed the start of radiation. As a news, he was in severe pain, unable to sleep or eat, and required morphine in the hospital and potent opioids at home. By the time chemotherapy started in November 2020, Lee could barely eat and had lost more than 25 pounds.