With every professional sport comes the chance that a player could be traded to another team. Most players try to avoid this situation, but recently a trade saved a player’s life.

The Detroit Lions were going to trade running back Jerome Harrison to the Philadelphia Eagles at the trade deadline a few weeks ago, but the trade fell through.

Harrison failed his physical. During the process of his exam, physicians discovered a brain tumor.

I have watched a lot of sports and seen a lot of trades, but I have never seen a trade voided because one of the players failed his physical. This seemed out of the ordinary to me. But I would be thanking God if I were Harrison.

I don’t know what made the doctors look for a brain tumor, but thankfully for Harrison, they did.

It is moments like these that I think about why it is important to go to the doctor regularly. For Harrison, the potential trade gave him a new chance at life.

Doctors have performed surgery, and according to an article on ESPN.com they believe that they have removed the entire tumor.

He may or may not die from the brain tumor. The tumor could come back, but Harrison was given the opportunity to take some time off, heal and then he will be cleared to play football again.

The Lions have put Harrison on a reserve, non-football related injury list. He is still a member of the team even though he will not be playing in any more games this season.

The trade would have allowed the Lions to acquire Philadelphia Eagles running back Ronnie Brown, but in the grand scheme of things, the details of the acquisition are forgotten and all that remains is that one potential trade saved a player’s life.

[WRITER’S NOTE: ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON WWW.SAUPULSE.COM]