Derek Jeter and his sister Sharlee Jeter have always been close growing up. Sharlee is five years younger than her brother and has remained very protective of Jeter to date. But things took a u-turn in their lives when Sharlee got diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma at only 20 years old.

For those unversed, tt happened right after Jeter lifted the World Series trophy for the fourth time in November 2000. However, despite committed to baseball, Jeter stood side-by-side with his sister when it mattered the most.

The Yankees star was doing everything in his capacity to help his sister get better. With the right treatment, support and motivation, she eventually got better. And back in 2018, Sharlee opened up about how Jeter took care of her. 

How did Derek Jeter react to Sharlee’s news?

Just like Derek, Sharlee was not the one to give up. She was a college softball champion during her younger days. In a 4-year-old interview with the doctor who shared her cancer journey, she talked about her brother’s reaction to the news, and how he handled the situation at the time.

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She said that her brother’s reaction was just like any brother’s. “He was very calm, supportive,” said Sharlee. She also told about her brother used to when he wasn’t with her. 

“He called my parents, it would be a different tone, what’s going on and drilling them to what happened at the doctor’s. He was a little bit more shaken up than what he showed to me,” said the Turn 2 Foundation’s director.

Not to forget that Sharlee also co-authored a book with her doctor about her struggles and how she overcame cancer.

While fighting cancer, Sharlee did not put her life on hold

Even though her parents wanted her to, and asked repeatedly, to put a hold on college till she got better, Sharlee was determined to fight it all while getting her degree and hanging out with friends. 

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Notably, it was a painful period for the Jeter family. But after seven months of vigorous treatment, she got declared cancer free in May 2001. Currently, she handles Derek Jeter’s Turn2 Foundation, an NGO to help educate young people to stay away from drugs.

Isn’t Sharlee’s story inspiring? Tell us in the comments section below!