When I watched the Sox I hated Jon Lester because he kicked Julian out of the starting rotation when he came back from his cancer treatment. Then he was part of the beer and chicken fiasco and he was usually so surly he just never seemed a guy I’d want to root for but, here we are so-Welcome to DC, Jon!
I am a huge Lester fan for his Red Sox stint. I sprung for an autographed ball back in summer of 2011 in a charitable fundraiser. I think I've told this story before, but, as you mention, Lester was diagnosed with a form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma his rookie year (2006). During his treatment, the Globe did an on-line get well card for him. I wrote on it how my Mom had non-Hodgkins lymphoma, too, and that treatments had gotten very good in the time since she was diagnosed. Not that he ever was going to read it, but it felt good to encourage him. His form was completely treatable; my Mom's was more whack-a-mole it's treatable until it isn't. Well, Mom got to her 80th birthday on May 19, 2007, but was unable to make it through the season. The next year, on what would have been her 81st birthday, Lester threw his one no-hitter. I broke out my Red Sox Lester tee shirt Tuesday in his honor.