Former Toronto FC midfielder Tsubasa Endoh is undergoing treatment in his native Japan for acute leukemia.
In social media posts on his verified accounts, the 29-year-old from Tokyo said he was diagnosed Dec. 2.
“I was honestly shocked at first and it was really hard to accept the whole situation,” he wrote.
Endoh said he has already started chemotherapy sessions.
“It’s gonna be a hell of a journey and it’s surely the hardest moment in my life, but I’m determined to fight this and come back stronger than ever,” he added.
His announcement drew messages of support from the MLS club and several former teammates.
Toronto took the former Japanese youth international in the first round, ninth overall, out of the University of Maryland in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft.
Endoh had with 10 goals in 80 appearances in all competitions for Toronto over the next six seasons. After his contract expired following the end of the 2021 campaign, Endoh signed a six-month contract with Australia’s Melbourne City FC in February.
Most recently he was with Los Angeles Galaxy II.
Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow, the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are made.
According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada, there were an estimated 6,900 new cases of leukemia in 2020 in Canada.