OXNARD, Calif – When the Dallas Cowboys arrived in California for their 2019 training camp, no one was more excited than Travis Frederick. Fresh off the heels of recovering from a career-threatening disease, the Cowboys All-Pro and Pro Bowl center did not know if he would ever be back.
“You don't realize what you have until it's gone," said Frederick as he stepped off the team charter bus on Thursday. "I think it's a little bit extra excitement for me, just a little more comfort too for whatever at this point. I'm just excited to take each game in and savor the experience.”
The reason for Frederick's new outlook on life is what he had to go through last year, when he suddenly felt numbness in all of his extremities and was being manhandled by lesser athletes on the field.
"I was starting to feel things," Frederick said. "It was another added layer of anxiety going into camp."
Those symptoms began in the first few days of the 2018 camp, and shortly thereafter, he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome -- an auto immune disease that attacks the nervous system.
“I will tell you this, I had no idea what we were facing regarding Frederick," stated Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. "None of us did.”
Now Jones is hoping that Frederick can pick up where he left off as the best center in the NFL. But everyone knows, including Travis, the true test won't come until the pads go on.
"At this point I don't take anything for granted. I’m just excited to be here."