[marden]

November 10, 2006

NFL Hall of Fame Coach Bill Walsh says he has leukemia

By Pat Nason

Hall-of-Fame football coach Bill Walsh has told a California newspaper he is battling leukemia but his future could look "very bright."

Walsh told the Santa Rosa (Calif.) Press Democrat he has known about his condition for several years, and has been receiving treatment for the past month.

"If we continue the ongoing treatment the future could look very bright," Walsh told the newspaper.

Walsh, 74, won three Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers. He said he first had indications as long ago as 2004 that something was wrong.

"I was anemic," he said. "I was being treated. When they tested the bone marrow, they found I was deficient."

Walsh said he had been receiving transfusions, which left him ill and weak at times.

"I'm no longer receiving them, which is working toward my recovery," he said. "The worst phase was three to four weeks ago. I've come back dramatically since and I'm better."

Walsh said he felt "positive, but not evangelistic" about his prospects.

"I'm pragmatically doing everything my physicians recommend and I'm working my way through it," he said.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.ph...0-092612-8789r