Watch Eric Berry’s emotional return to Kansas City after beating cancer

The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t win Thursday night, but it was still a victory for safety Eric Berry.

Berry, 26, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in November. In June, he was declared cancer-free and made his first regular-season start since Week 12 of last season against the Denver Broncos.

It was an event celebrated by fans at Arrowhead Stadium — home of the world record for loudest stadium (142.2 decibels) — with a thunderous standing ovation during player introductions.

Berry had four tackles in the Chiefs’ 31-24 loss to the Denver Broncos.

During the preseason against the Arizona Cardinals, Berry said he’d come a long way. “It just all hit me,” he told the Kansas City Star at the time. “I don’t think anybody could really understand the road I took, the sacrifices I had to make, the feelings I had going through those times.”

Berry, a first-round pick in 2010, has eight career interceptions with three returned for touchdowns and 5.5 sacks. He was named an All-Pro in 2013 and has been selected for three Pro Bowls.
“I’ve been running into a lot of people, people who don’t even know about football, telling me their [relatives] just got diagnosed with cancer,” Berry said. “They just tell me they have hope because they see me out on the field, so that means a lot to me.

“It just does so much for them, so I’ve got to go hard. I’ve got to give everything I’ve got just so other people have hope.”

Follow Matt Wilhalme on Twitter @mattwilhalme