Ex-Denver Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman’s family said in a statement on Tuesday he was diagnosed with renal medullary carcinoma in August and is currently in hospice care.
Renal medullary carcinoma “is a rare cancer of the kidney that predominantly afflicts young people of African descent who carry the sickle cell trait, sickle cell disease, or other sickle hemoglobinopathies that can cause sickling of the red blood cells.”
Hillman, who turned 31 in September, has undergone treatment, but it has not been successful. The family says he is being kept comfortable and out of pain in hospice care.
#BroncosCountry please pray for Ronnie Hillman he’s in hospice and not doing well.
— Orlando Franklin (@OFranklin74) December 20, 2022
Hillman was the Broncos’ leading rusher on their Super Bowl 50 winning team in 2015 — he started 10 out of 16 games and ran for 863 yards on 207 carries, seven of them touchdowns.
Hillman, 31, was a third-round pick out of San Diego State in 2012. He spent four seasons with Denver before spending the 2016 season with both the Minnesota Vikings and the San Diego Chargers
“It’s not looking good. He has pneumonia, and I’m putting it out there just to send positive vibes his way,” former teammate Derek Wolfe said on his radio show.
