The McCaffery family is facing another tough fight with cancer. Having been through this battle once before, they now find themselves dealing with it again after their youngest son, Jack, was diagnosed with the disease. The news has brought an outpouring of support from across college basketball, the NBA, and the WNBA. Among those reaching out was Jade Haliburton, who sent a personal message to Jack’s brother Connor, who is currently dating Caitlin Clark.
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The University of Richmond announced on November 8 that Jack McCaffery, a sophomore forward, had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and would take an indefinite medical leave from the men’s basketball team. Connor later shared an emotional message on Instagram, writing:
“Nobody stronger than u to fight this. You’ve got us all with you, and we love you. CANCER SUCKS!!!!!!!!”
Connor’s post included heartwarming childhood pictures of the brothers. It drew messages from friends, teammates and people across the basketball community. Caitlin Clark showed her support by pinning a row of red heart emojis in the comments.
Jade, Tyrese Haliburton’s wife, also responded, writing: “Praying for Jack and your whole family, Connor! He’s got a whole crew behind him!!!!”
Jade made her message another link between the McCaffery family and the basketball community in Indiana. Connor, a former Iowa Hawkeyes player, is now a player development assistant with the Noblesville Boom, the Indiana Pacers’ G League affiliate.
Meanwhile, Caitlin Clark plays for the Indiana Fever. And her presence in Connor’s life has helped connect the families across the NBA and WNBA.
The response has also included Caitlin Clark’s Fever teammates, with Lexie Hull and Kelsey Mitchell among those offering support. However, for Jack, the immediate focus is on treatment. Richmond said the school’s medical staff evaluated him earlier in the week. Then, they traveled home with his parents to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania for the treatment.
Their father, Penn men’s basketball head coach Fran McCaffery, also spoke about the situation in the university’s announcement. He expressed gratitude to Richmond’s staff for their swift response and to the doctors and nurses at Penn for caring for Jack.
“We are grateful to the Richmond coaching staff and medical team for their prompt response, and to Kevin Mahoney and the doctors and nurses here at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He is in great hands, and our family feels blessed to be here, where Jack’s care is directed by this world-class care team,” Fran said, as per Penn Athletics.
Dr. Alison Wakoff Loren, who is overseeing his care, offered a hopeful assessment in the university’s announcement.
“Any cancer diagnosis is distressing, especially at a young age, but we are confident in Jack’s treatment plan and Penn Medicine’s team of lymphoma experts. Hodgkin’s lymphoma mainly affects young people in their 20s, but it is a highly curable form of cancer, thanks to years of dedicated research. Our goal is to get Jack through his treatments safely and to return him to school and to his teammates on the basketball court as soon as we can.”
As mentioned earlier, cancer has struck the McCaffery family twice.
Jack’s older brother, Patrick, suffered from thyroid cancer in 2014, when he was 14. He underwent surgery and treatment, recovered, and later continued his basketball career at the college level.
The brothers have different diagnoses, and Jack’s care team will determine the course of treatment based on his individual condition. The family can draw support from the overwhelming support. And, most importantly, from the expertise of the Penn Medicine team now caring for Jack.
Moreover, doctors now consider Hodgkin’s lymphoma as one of the most treatable cancers, with modern therapies delivering high cure rates. For now, Jack’s priority is treatment. He has his family and the Richmond program standing behind him as he begins that process.