An 8-year-old boy who received national attention for his touchdown run in the 2013 Nebraska spring football game has a recurrence of brain cancer, The Associated Press reported.
Jack Hoffman, from Atkinson, Neb., has been in remission since October, but his father Andy said doctors found a "spot of concern" in the little boy's brain in April. Follow-up tests in Boston on Wednesday showed the tumor had grown, according to AP.
"Today, we were humbly reminded that when your child has an inoperable brain tumor, that anything can happen at any point in time," Andy Hoffman wrote on Jack's Caring Bridge website. "Despite Jack's tumor being declared in remission last October, today we learned that is no longer the case."
Andy Hoffman wrote on Jack's Caring Bridge page that the tumor will be treated with chemotherapy.
Former Nebraska running back Rex Burkhead, a current second-year running back for the Cincinnati Bengals, befriended Jack shortly after his cancer diagnosis in 2011, according to ESPN. Jack's touchdown won an ESPY Award for best sports moment of 2013. Players mobbed him and lifted him on their shoulders in triumph after the 69-yard run. A video of the play has been played on national TV and has more than 8 million views on YouTube.
Andy told Huskers.com that Jack is "doing great."
"This is a mild setback," Andy said, "and everyone remains optimistic for Jack, including and especially his mom and dad."
