EXCLUSIVE: Wyoming Great Josh Davis Opens Up About His Fight With Cancer
Josh Davis has spent most of his life competing.
He competed in the paint for the Wyoming Cowboys, helped lead UW to two Mountain West championships and an NCAA Tournament victory over Gonzaga, and later had a professional basketball career that included time in the NBA.
Today, the former Cowboy standout is facing a fight unlike any he encountered on a basketball court.
Article Continues Below
Article Continues Below
Davis, 46, was diagnosed in August with Mantle Cell Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a form of blood cancer. What began as a routine physical quickly turned into biopsies, scans, chemotherapy and an uncertain road ahead.
Davis told PokesNews.com that it all started with something that didn't seem particularly alarming.
"It was just a standard physical. Hadn't had one in a while," Davis said. "I noticed my lymph nodes in my neck ... had been swollen for a little while. And I had like a little lump underneath my left eye that was annoying."
His wife, Jessica, finally convinced him to have it checked out.
The physical led to a lymph-node biopsy.
Davis was driving home from work through Denver traffic when an email arrived.
"I got it via e-mail - that's when I found out," Davis said. "The doctor didn't call me right off the bat, she was on an airplane. But I just saw an e-mail come through, and it said it in there. So I just kind of sat in traffic for the next 45 minutes by myself with my thoughts."
From diagnosis to a blur
Since the diagnosis, everything has been a whirlwind for the Davis family.
Additional testing followed, including a bone marrow biopsy and PET scan. On Sept. 3, Davis met with his oncologist, Dr. Kamdar, at Anschutz Medical Center.
Davis said she wanted to begin treatment immediately.
"She asked if she could check me in to start chemo right there, which was kind of mind-blowing because we ... didn't know what treatment was going to be," Davis said. "We didn't have any answers whatsoever walking into that appointment Thursday morning."
But before checking into the hospital, Davis had somewhere he wanted to be that evening.
His daughter Addison had a volleyball game.
"So I went to the volleyball game, talked to the kids, and then went into the hospital the next day, Friday the 4th," Davis said.
Treatment began with an aggressive chemotherapy regimen. The initial plan was for four rounds of inpatient chemotherapy followed by additional testing and treatment aimed at putting the cancer into remission.
Less than two weeks into that process, Davis is still trying to comprehend how quickly his life has changed.
"It's all kind of a blur still, to be honest with you," Davis said. "I'm just trying to stay positive."
He doesn't know exactly what the coming weeks and months will bring.
"I had my first chemo, and we're just taking it day by day, and I don't know what to expect. I don't know what's going to happen," Davis said. "Just take each day with a positive attitude and keep moving forward."
One thing is for certain: Davis is staying positive.
Treating it like another comeback
One part of Davis' past has prepared him for what lies ahead.
Basketball taught him how to compete. Injuries taught him how to recover.
Davis tells PokesNews.com that he estimates he’s undergone 18 surgeries dating back to his high school and college years and through an 11-year professional career.
"I'm no stranger to being injured and having to overcome it and get back out and play," Davis said. "So that's kind of the way I'm looking at this. It's another injury that I got to do what I'm supposed to do to get better and get out there and live as much life as I can."
This time, however, the fight extends far beyond Davis.
Jessica and their three children, Avery, Addison and Will - are going through it alongside him.
Davis said their strength has impressed him most since his diagnosis.
"Obviously, there are tears shed, anxiety and stress," Davis said. "There's no question. We all have all those feelings more often than not. But my kids have just been incredibly strong."
The experience, he said, has drawn an already close family even closer.
"If anything, I think it's brought us closer and just made me even more proud of them with the way they've handled it."
"Kids are resilient; just got to show them as much love as you possibly can," he said. "And if this is an excuse to hug them more often, then I'll take it."
The family is dealing with another medical challenge at the same time. Davis said Avery, a junior at the University of Wyoming, recently underwent surgery to have a kidney removed and is recovering at home in Golden, Colorado.
The Cowboy family responds
Davis has always been relatively private and doesn't put his personal life on display.
That made accepting financial help difficult.
"I did not want to do the GoFundMe," Davis said. "I don't like asking for ... charity and handouts."
It was his friends and family who eventually convinced him otherwise, as the long-term treatment will continue to add up.
"I'm gonna have a lifetime of medical bills," Davis said. "They'll never stop until I die. So we're talking hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills."
The fundraiser has set a $200,000 goal to help the Davis family with treatment and medical
expenses.
As of this article's publication, the GoFundMe has raised $35,090.
The response on GoFundMe and the people reaching out have meant so much to Josh.
"It's been overwhelming in a good way," Davis said. "So many texts and phone calls from guys I haven't talked to in years."
Former teammates and friends have reached out. So have Wyoming fans.
"It's just a really, really good feeling to know that the Cowboy family is always there," Davis said.
Davis played at Wyoming from 1999-2002 and started at forward throughout his four-year career. He earned AP Honorable Mention All-America honors in 2001-02 and helped the Cowboys win their first two Mountain West championships. In addition to the accolades, he also met his wife, Jessica, a former soccer player for the Pokes.
He finished his UW career with 27 double-doubles and was a three-time all-conference selection. He later played professionally, including stints with the Philadelphia 76ers and Memphis Grizzlies.
Ask Davis what he remembers most about Wyoming, and the statistics aren't what comes to mind first.
It's the people.
"I still talk to everybody on my teams for the most part," Davis said, naming former teammates Chris McMillan, Paris Corner, Brett McFall, Marcus Bailey, David Rottinghaus and Joe Reese among others.
"We're all still good friends because that's what happens when you go to battle in the trenches together," Davis said. "You become lifelong buddies."
A memory that hasn't faded
Davis still remembers his senior season; the Cowboys gathered to watch the NCAA Tournament selection show.
Wyoming had been close before. The Cowboys had played in the NIT, but Davis and his teammates had spent four years chasing an NCAA tournament bid.
Then Wyoming's name appeared on the screen.
"Paris Corner and me and Marcus just jumped up on the cabinets and just hugged and started crying for I don't even know how long it was," Davis recalled.
"I still have that picture in my head of Paris sitting on the countertop and me just embracing him and Marcus over my shoulder hugging me," Davis said. "That's probably my greatest memory of that time."
Wyoming fans haven't forgotten: the Cowboys' first-round NCAA Tournament victory over Gonzaga.
"The game against Gonzaga, I'll never forget," Davis said. "That was a really special moment with all of us as teammates."
Davis was inducted into the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013, the same year he retired from professional basketball.
"I was shocked," Davis said. "I was so happy. I did not expect that whatsoever."
Bailey and Corner attended the ceremony with him.
"It was just such an honor," Davis said.
Service above himself
For the past 14 years, Davis has volunteered as a boys varsity assistant coach at Forge Christian High School.
"My entire joy in life is giving to younger kids," Davis said. "So any chance I get to try to encourage or help develop anybody, that's my goal in life."
Now, many of the people Davis has encountered during his basketball journey are trying to give something back.
Asked what Wyoming fans can do for him and his family, Davis’s first answer was without hesitation:
"Prayers are first," he said.
His hope is that treatment can put the cancer into remission for years at a time.
"Any prayers, as many people as possible, that we just get this thing into remission at least for a good chunk of years so I don't have to continue treatment ... continuously," Davis said.
Financial support through the fundraiser is important and appreciated, he said, but it isn't the only way to help.
"Even just a kind word or prayers is all I ask."
Davis said the last few weeks have reminded him just how strong the bond is amongst people.
"Sometimes you forget the kind of impact that different people have on different people's lives," Davis said. "I'm just happy that there's so much love out there and I'm trying to give that love back.
"I'm so appreciative."
You can donate to the GoFundMe here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-josh-daviss-fight-against-blood-cancer
Don't forget to sign up for our email list, and follow us on our socials!
Subscribe to receive our newsletter here (no spam, we promise): Subscribe
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pokesnews
X (formerly known as Twitter): https://x.com/Pokes_News
