LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) -- High school student-athletes have so much on their plates as it is, but one Kentuckiana football player has faced something more challenging than most will ever know.
Walking the halls of Male high school as a student is a dream for some.
"Since about elementary school, that's where I wanted to go,” Male High School Student Caleb Efird said.
In the back of Ms. Powell's French class, Efird is living his dream—a dream he knows more clearly than most was never a guarantee.
"He's a great kid. He's quiet but he's witty. He fits in really well with his classmates,” PE Teacher Jake Fiorella said.
As a freshman last year, Efird joined the football team. He said playing the game was a priority until something came up that he couldn't ignore.
"I missed a day of school. Just I was sick. It was pretty normal. I came back to do a makeup test, and as I was walking back down from the teacher's desk I felt a bump on my neck,” Efird remembered.
After hours at Norton Children's Hospital, Caleb was given news he didn't fully understand. He'd been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Fiorella said, "It was tough. Even with 2000 kids they were all worried, teachers, parents, students. So, there's just a lot of uncertainty that comes with it."
When first diagnosed he feared so much. He may never play again. He may not even survive.
But Efird made a promise to himself. His story wouldn't end there.
"I was like I'm going to do this. Being sad about it isn't going to change anything so you just have to go through it,” Efird said.
Five months later he was cancer free.
"It wasn't as much joy as I thought it would be. It was just relief,” he said.
That joy came later. He found it on the football field.
Efird said, "It’s just crazy. I didn't think I was going to be here. I have scars all down my left side. It’s just ridiculous."
His first game was a victory but not because of the scoreboard, he said it was something even sweeter, explaining, "Just make the most out of it because I shouldn't really be here, but I am."
Efird counts his blessings a little differently these days, but a new day on the field is still at the top the list.
►Contact reporter Shay McAlister at smcalister@whas11.com. Follow her on Twitter (@WHAS11Shay) and Facebook.