Liam Hendriks to receive the Jimmy V Award

On Jan. 8, 2023, Liam Hendriks was diagnosed with stage four non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. On April 20, he announced that he was cancer-free.

Today, Hendriks was announced as the recipient of the 2023 Jimmy V Award for Perseverance.

In a lackluster season for the White Sox overall, Hendriks’ story and subsequent return have been a bright spot. He’s currently on the injured list with elbow inflammation and is not expected back until after the All-Star break, but has been around the team regularly.

The White Sox community, along with all of the baseball world, has rallied around Hendriks throughout the season. More than $100,000 was raised in the team’s “Close Out Cancer” T-shirt campaign, in which they partnered with the Lymphoma Research Foundation to provide funds to lymphoma patients.

The Jimmy V Award is named in honor of Jimmy Valvano, most known for coaching the 1983 NCAA National Champion North Carolina State University men’s basketball team that upset the heavily-favored University of Houston. Valvano was diagnosed with metastatic adenocarcinoma, which took his life in 1993, but only after he delivered an iconic speech at the 1993 ESPY Awards — the very first ESPYs.

The V Foundation has raised more than $300 million in funds for cancer research since it was announced during that same ESPY Awards speech. Hendriks will receive the award on July 12, and everyone here at South Side Sox is proud and happy for him.

Keep being an inspiration to people across the world!