Jason Collins has revealed he is battling Stage 4 glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive and deadly forms of brain cancer.

The former NBA center, who made history in 2013 as the first openly gay active player in a major American team sport, disclosed his diagnosis in an emotional essay for ESPN published Thursday.​

Collins, 46, explained that his family released a brief statement in September announcing he had a brain tumor, but kept details private to protect him while he was mentally unable to speak for himself.

He said the cancer developed with alarming speed. The 13-year NBA veteran married his husband, Brunson Greene, in May during what he described as a perfect ceremony in Austin, Texas, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Just months later, in August, Collins began experiencing troubling symptoms when he found himself unable to focus enough to pack for a planned trip to the US Open, causing them to miss their flight.​

After undergoing a CT scan at UCLA, technicians pulled Collins out after only five minutes and immediately referred him to a specialist. He knew from his athletic career that CT scans typically last longer than five minutes, and whatever appeared on those first images had to be serious.

Collins said his mental clarity, short-term memory, and comprehension disappeared within hours. His family later described him as becoming like an NBA version of Dory from Finding Nemo.​

A biopsy revealed Collins has glioblastoma with a growth factor of 30 percent, meaning without treatment, the tumor would likely kill him within six weeks to three months. He compared the cancer to a monster with tentacles spreading across the underside of his brain, the width of a baseball, USA Today reported.

Because the tumor is encroaching on his frontal lobe and cannot be surgically removed without fundamentally changing who he is, Collins faces a prognosis of just 11 to 14 months with standard radiation and chemotherapy treatment.​

Collins is currently receiving targeted chemotherapy at a clinic in Singapore using an experimental delivery system designed to penetrate the blood-brain barrier and attack glioblastoma tumors directly.

He is also undergoing radiation therapy and participating in immunotherapy trials, which are still under investigation. His goal is to fight the tumor's progression long enough for doctors to develop a personalized immunotherapy treatment.​

The former Brooklyn Nets player, who spent 13 seasons with six different teams, averaging 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds, said he refuses to let cancer kill him without giving it a fierce fight. Collins drew parallels between his current battle and his decision to come out publicly, noting that both experiences could help people he may never meet, as per Yahoo Sports.

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Jason Collins, Cancer, NBA