CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It got so bad for Larry Nance Jr. that he contemplated quitting basketball.

At 16 years old and a sophomore in high school, Nance had stopped growing and couldn’t gain weight. His stomach hurt constantly, it was often painful to eat and he would fall asleep randomly for a few hours while sitting in a chair after school. Always exhausted and looking disengaged during games, Nance had enough.

That’s when he went to a local doctor to have some bloodwork done, ultimately learning that he had Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammation of the digestive tract that can have a different effect on each patient.

“Right when I got diagnosed and found out that this was a chronic thing, something I’m going to have forever ... as a high school kid, that is terrifying,” Nance told cleveland.com. “Obviously growing up in my house I knew I wanted to play sports. When I was first diagnosed I didn’t want that to change. Am I going to be able to play basketball? Am I going to be able to have a regular life?”

That was more than a decade ago. The miserable disease that once weakened him, lined his stomach and intestines with lesions and sores, is one that has helped Nance become the player and person he is today -- an inspiration to many suffering from the same illness that nearly pushed him to his breaking point.

“This is something that I’m very, very passionate about,” Nance said. “If I got a chance to take it back and not have Crohn’s disease I don’t think I would because it has just made me that much stronger and more resilient of a person. Just knowing all the good the foundation is doing and partnering with companies like Goodyear is just huge. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I take immense pride in being a face of this.”

Along with Noah Weber, a 16 year old and one of the many influenced by Nance’s story, the two created Athletes vs. Crohn’s & Colitis -- a non-profit intended to raise awareness, provide support and encourage those with the disease to keep striving to reach their athletic potential despite being diagnosed with a chronic illness.

Nance, who is the only current NBA player with the disease, recently teamed up with Goodyear and his foundation to surprise two young athletes and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients with a once-in-a-lifetime experience that included a flight around Los Angeles in the iconic Goodyear Blimp, tickets to a Cavs game against the Lakers at Staples Center later that night and a meet-and-greet with Nance prior to tipoff.

Colton and London, who, like Nance, initially wondered if they could continue to play sports at a high level, were also given signed Nance jerseys that they wore to the game. That night, Nance spoke to them about his story, about nearly walking away from the game he loves.

“Very cool getting to meet people like that because that was me not so long ago,” Nance said when asked about the interaction. “To be able to be in my shoes and hopefully inspire the next generation of kids, that’s all in part to Goodyear. The biggest reason I wanted to give back was because I had a hero that played professional sports. I knew the way I looked at him and I hope that I can have that same impact.”

That was David Garrard, former Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback, who was diagnosed with Crohn’s in 2004. Garrard opted for surgery and played in the NFL for another seven years.

Shortly after Nance got the news of his illness, he went on his computer and searched for any athlete that was able to overcome and make it to the highest level. Garrard’s name popped up first.

“He was my Superman and that’s who I looked to any time I had a bad day, any time there was anything wrong," Nance said. "It was just like, ‘All right, David got through it and he takes hits from these 300-pounders, so I will be fine going to school today.’ Looking at him like that and just the kind of motivation and inspiration he gave me to keep moving forward is really what I hope to be for these kids, showing them that despite being diagnosed with an illness there’s nothing that it can hold you back from -- playing in the NBA, playing in the NFL. Show them that there’s nothing you can’t do.”

Nance first met Garrard during his rookie year with the Lakers in 2015. Playing a December game in Charlotte, Nance had dinner with Garrard and his family the night before and then Garrard took in the game, watching Nance play for the first time while supporting the Lakers.

“I’ve gotten to do some pretty cool things in my career, but of all the things, just getting to meet and talk to him, that’s probably Top 2 on my list,” Nance said.

The other contenders: Playing in the NBA Finals in 2018 with one of his childhood heroes LeBron James and spending his first season alongside Kobe Bryant.

That shows Garrard’s deep impact, something Nance has expressed to Garrard numerous times.

“I made sure he knows it,” Nance said. “He didn’t know it at the time -- that he was 100 percent the engine behind me making it to the NBA.”

The two are friends now. They talk a few times each month. Garrard was at Cleveland’s game in Los Angeles earlier this season. The night before the matchup, Nance and Garrard had dinner together, allowing them to catch up. Given what the two battle on a daily basis, the menu was specific: no nuts, seeds, popcorn or dairy.

“There’s a whole slew of things I can’t have,” Nance said. “I didn’t realize how many foods have seeds and nuts. You have to consciously look out for them. Have the utmost diligence in making sure that nothing is going in your body that you don’t know about. You have to monitor yourself so heavily.”

It wasn’t just Garrard who helped Nance turns things around. Since that terrifying diagnosis, Nance has received infusions of Remicade, an expensive intravenous medication that he takes about every seven weeks during the season.

In two weeks after his first treatment, Nance grew two inches and gained 12 pounds. From his sophomore to junior year, he grew another six inches. His passion for the game returned. His energy picked up. He felt happier, healthier.

“I’m certainly never past it. I have to deal with it all the time,” Nance said about Crohn’s. “I would say the point in which it became very manageable was my junior year of college. That’s when I could really see that alright, I can beat this thing and I can reach the highest level with it.”

That’s the message Nance keeps delivering. It’s the mission of Athletes vs. Crohn’s. It’s why he keeps in touch with other patients like him -- in person and on social media. Why he’s become an advocate.

Nance’s Instagram has a link to the story about his friendship with Weber, a bond that began when Weber DM’d Nance and the Cavaliers forward followed up with a life-altering phone call. That’s actually the same way Colton learned of AVC and how he was able to meet Nance nearly two months ago. It’s why there are so many programs within the foundation -- Annual Scholarship, Teammate of the Week, Larry’s Leaders, Noah’s Crohnies, basketball tournaments and the recent partnership with Goodyear -- that provide young athletes with those unforgettable experiences, just like that January day in LA.

The ultimate goal is to find a cure. In the meantime, Nance wants to raise awareness.

When those tough days come, because they still do, Nance thinks about the many people he’s already impacted and the countless more that he will help in the future. He thinks back to when he was a concerned teenager. Thinks about Garrard and the importance of finding a relatable role model.

“Do I know every time that these kids are looking at me the same way I looked at David Garrard? No, not necessarily," Nance said. "But I knew the kind of impact he had on me and that is what I’m trying to give these kids.”

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