Some memories stay sharp because they shape who we are. Think of the first time a basketball swished through the net and how that thrill pushed you to try again. Similarly, Jason Collins built a 13-year NBA career on that drive, yet just a few months ago, he faced a moment so frightening that he couldn’t remember how to get up off the floor. Yet, he chose to not give up easily.

In talks with ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, the former Nets forward revealed he has been diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma. With normal treatment, there wasn’t much hope.

“Because my tumour is unresectable, going solely with the “standard of care” — radiation and TMZ — the average prognosis is only 11 to 14 months. If that’s all the time I have left, I’d rather spend it trying a course of treatment that might one day be a new standard of care for everyone,” he shared with ESPN.

The rare and dangerous form of brain tumor eats away at the frontal lobe. In Collins’ case, the tumor is the size of a baseball, masking over both sides of his brain. The condition itself is terminal. However, having been an athlete his whole life, Jason sees this situation as the fourth quarter of a Game 7.

Collins is willing to do whatever it takes to stun the tumor and create headway in science. For those reasons, all his resources are pushed into finding an experimental treatment to battle the glioblastoma.

Currently, Collins is in Singapore getting targeted chemotherapy with the use of EDVs. Such a treatment directly attacks the brain tumor and can pierce through the blood-brain barrier. The 47-year-old remains grateful for his long NBA career, which has enabled him to find the best course of treatment anywhere around the world.

It is painfully the biggest fight of Jason Collins’ life. So even if the odds are against him, he won’t just wave the white flag. “I’m going to fight it,” he says. If not for himself, then Jason Collins is doing this to make progress in this field so that the next person who faces such a situation could have an advantage in their fight.

Jason Collins won’t back down from this

Jason Collins is fighting the toughest battle and refusing to surrender every day. That sort of courage has been instilled through the various moments in his life. He was the first openly gay athlete across the four major North American leagues. Opening up that gateway alone gave thousands the courage to express freely just who they are.

Collins’ mindset during this tense standoff with glioblastoma remains the same. Having battled prime Shaquille O’Neal and learned how to stay poised in moments when the heartbeat goes into overdrive, Collins’ bravery allows him to prevail. The target is to outlast the condition until the development of a niche treatment.

“The goal is to keep fighting the progress of the tumors long enough for a personalized immunotherapy to be made for me, and to keep me healthy enough to receive that immunotherapy once it’s ready,” he told ESPN.

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As his battle progresses, Jason Collins has the most essential anecdote to feel complete. His husband, Brunson Green, his twin brother, Jarron Collins, and their entire family have shown up for Collins. That helps him remain positive during this unprecedented battle. The finish line is still a long way from where he stands right now.

However, Collins doesn’t just see this as his fight. The strides he makes while helping develop the appropriate treatment could one day bring rest to another family that sees their loved one battling glioblastoma. Through the toughness that Collins encounters, that sentiment charges him up to keep pushing himself.

His courage in remaining strong in these times is truly remarkable. Nothing will fold Jason Collins. And as he fights for his life every day, we hope Collins make become an even bigger inspiration than he already is.