Cancer free Manning has 'wonderful' return to Auburn

AUBURN | Just eight months after being diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukaemia, a cancer of the white blood cells, Tashawn Manning was back in Auburn for a visit with his eyes focused firmly on the future.

“It feels like I’m coming back home again. It’s just wonderful, the Auburn family, coaches, everything was wonderful,” said Manning, who signed with the Tigers in the 2016 class out of Wekiva in Apopka, Fla.

Manning’s daily trips to the hospital for cancer treatments ended July 10. He has to return once a month for checkups but the frequency of those tests will decrease over time.

“I’m cancer free,” Manning said. “It’s awesome just knowing I don’t have to go to the hospital everyday,” Manning said. “It was a giant relief knowing I don’t have this weighing on my shoulders. Now I can focus on the other aspects I want to focus on like football and school.”

Auburn made it clear to Manning after his initial diagnoses in November that the scholarship would be waiting on the defensive tackle whenever he was cleared to enroll.

That was a big motivating factor for Manning during the treatments, which caused him to lose 40 pounds.

“It was very important keeping it on my mind during the hard times. Getting out of the hospital the first thing on my mind is to get here,” he said.

Manning said he’s gained the lost weight back but still has a lot of work to do to gain the strength and stamina he’ll need to return to the football field. He plans to enroll at Auburn in January but won’t practice until he’s been cleared by his doctor and Auburn’s team doctor.

“I’m doing great. It was a setback but now I have to work on my own to get back to where I was before,” he said.

Manning has communicated with former Auburn offensive tackle Shon Coleman, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010, returned to practice in 2012 and then started 25 career games the past two seasons before being drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

“It’s very inspiring knowing somebody went through the same things I went through,” Manning said. “I could follow straight in his footsteps and maybe do better.”

Manning is taking two classes at Valencia Community College this summer and will take two more this fall. He attended Auburn’s family cookout recruiting event Saturday with his family and plans to be back for some games this fall.