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A big dream come true this week for Aleksander Andresen:
On Tuesday, the Eliteserie Stabæk club announced that they have signed a professional contract with the 15-year-old.
That it happens says it all about the ups and downs that life can contain in just one year. Exactly a year ago, life turned upside down, for what was then 14-year-old Aleksander.
He thought it was just a young man who had a stomach ache.
It is true that he was so special that he vomited several times after hard training sessions, but Aleksander Andresen was, after all, the great talent who always gave his all on the football field.
He endured a lot. He trained five days a week and was used to pushing himself.
However, the pain became so intense that he eventually went to the doctor.
They should basically be allergy tests. But when he saw the reaction of the doctor and his mother, Alexander realized that something was completely wrong.
– Then the doctor tells me that they have found two bullets in my stomach. I don’t understand what it is about, but I see that the doctors are afraid, I see that Mom is afraid, but I still don’t understand what it is about. I just understand what it is somethingsays Aleksander Andresen.
TWO BIG BALLS: These two bullets were found, in Alexander’s stomach. Both the size of a large orange.
The trip to the doctor for an allergy test turned into an ultrasound. The doctor also does not discover what it is, but sees the same bullets and sends Aleksander to the hospital.
This is where you finally get the message that the whole of 2020 will change.
– I never thought it could be cancer. I thought maybe it was a twisted gut or something. He had never heard anything good about cancer, it was just something he had heard was dangerous. It is dangerous. So it was very difficult to get that message across. It was unreal. Actually, it was completely empty, says Aleksander Andresen.
100 days in the hospital
Doctors immediately raised the alarm. Aleksander was immediately transferred to Rikshospitalet, where he was diagnosed with Burkitt’s lymphoma from cancer.
There are only a few days left until Christmas Eve. What was to be a nice Christmas celebration at Moss ended in a room at the Rikshospitalet.
At 14, Aleksander would have preferred to think about Christmas presents. Instead, the idea was that life could come to an end.
– I immediately felt, for a short time, that it was about life. I have always seen cancer as something super dangerous, but fortunately I quickly realized that the doctors were very skilled and that I was well cared for, says Aleksander.
SOLD OUT: A series of harsh chemotherapy treatments cost Alexander. In all, he was in the hospital for more than a hundred days. Photo: Private
Therefore, her mood improved as she had to struggle with harsh chemotherapy treatments.
In March, Alexander thought it was over, but then a new tumor appeared. This led to surgery and new rounds of tough chemotherapy, and eventually a stem cell transplant as well.
– In some periods in the hospital, I have been lying down directly. Then I lay down on the bed and maybe managed to go to the bathroom, but then I lay up straight again. During periods at home, I have probably felt in better shape. Then he even played a little football from time to time, says Aleksander Andresen.
From this perspective, it may seem strange to say, but football has been in many ways a kind of medicine for Alexander.
– Football has been a goal for me, it has been a great help. After a chemotherapy treatment, exercise has been a great help for me, he says.
And maybe his attitude towards football has helped him a bit. On the field, Aleksander has been a warrior who has never given up.
– I have tried to bear the disease as best I could. For me, it has never been an option to lie down and sew. I’ve always tried to train as much as I could through illness, because I’ve believed that you can come back faster the more you train, he says.
MOTIVATION: His football career has always been a motivating factor for Aleksander. As long as his strength has been there, he has tried playing soccer. Photo: Erik Edland / TV 2
Still, it has cost. For a while, every time Alexander felt like he was coming back, there was another recession.
The previous surprise message came in October.
– Then they told me that they had found a new tumor in the stomach, so it was a new operation. They removed the tumor and took samples. Fortunately, he did not have cancer, it was a false alarm, he says.
And then a couple of weeks ago came the good news Aleksander had been waiting for for the past year: On December 1, doctors concluded that he did not have cancer.
– I really didn’t know how to react. He could barely understand that it was real. I was so happy. I have no words for that, Aleksander says today.
He has been haunted by various Elite Series clubs.
At the same time that Aleksander has battled cancer, it has always been obvious to many that he is a great talent in soccer. Retreats to zone teams, circuit teams and eventually to Equinor’s talent camp say he is considered one of the nation’s top talents in his age group.
Several clubs both nationally and internationally have shown interest. In the Elite Series, most of the clubs in eastern Norway have wanted his signature.
Although illness has haunted Alejandro, interest has persisted. Last week, he made the decision about the future when, at just 15 years old, he signed a professional contract with Stabæk. It will be combined with schooling through the NTG system starting next summer.
– It is clear that for me it is great. Especially after the period I’ve been through, it means a lot. This means that I have already achieved one of my biggest goals, says Aleksander Andresen.
That Stabæk hires such young players from the local area on a professional contract is quite special. Talk a bit about their faith in the young man.
PROFESSIONAL CONTRACT: This week, a dream came true for Aleksander when he signed a professional contract with Stabæk. Here in a team with sports director Torgeir Bjarmann, who is aware that it is special to give professional contracts to such young players. Shows the talent that Alexander is considered to be. Photo: Private
– Stabæk is a good club, known for developing young footballers and perhaps especially midfielders like me. Actually, the choice was quite natural for me, says Aleksander.
However, not only clubs in Norway have shown interest in Aleksander. Early in his illness, he was invited to a training stay at the English Premier League club Leeds, but that dream is currently on hold.
Now you can dream again
Because although Aleksander Andresen may enter this year’s Christmas celebration with a smile on his face, there is no doubt that the year has cost. Despite the fact that he has returned to doing a lot of workouts a week, he still requires something more.
– I still have a hard time getting enough food, especially after hard workouts. It will probably make the recovery take a little longer. Where it used to take half an hour, now it could spend an hour or two, Aleksander says.
– Are you afraid that the period of illness could have negative consequences for football?
– Yes, and there are also cases of that. But fortunately I have received very good help from the support staff and my loved ones. I am very grateful to everyone who has helped me during this time, he says and sends a special thanks to the Moss Kids Club and to Councilors Morten Tandberg and Mike Kjølø for the way they have followed him.
But even though Aleksander may have been a bit late in the short term, the thoughtful 15-year-old knows he’s sitting on a drag that hardly anyone else knows.
– Of course it has left its mark, but I hope and believe that the disease has improved me mentally. All footballers face adversity, and now I have found mine, says Aleksander Andresen.
You do so, knowing that your thoughts may finally be directed toward more than just improvement. Now Aleksander can dream again about the Elite Series matches, the national team matches, and preferably these young people should be allowed to dream.
– It’s incredibly delicious to be healthy again. Now I feel like I have mine. So now I just look ahead. Hopefully the football career will only get better from now on, says Aleksander Andresen.
Hard: Aleksander Andresen has always assumed responsibilities on the football field. Now he hopes to be able to fully concentrate on football in the future. Photo: Erik Edland / TV 2
