University of Houston Coach Faces Cancer with Perseverance: ‘You Can Survive’

Published: October 9, 2025

marcelo-leal-6pcGTJDuf6M-unsplash — Photo by Marcelo Leal on Unsplash

By Mallory Mattingly

University of Houston strength and conditioning coach Kurt Hester faced with a life-altering diagnosis earlier this year — Stage IV melanoma.

When he went to the hospital for a “fluke rib injury,” the X-ray showed masses on two of Hester’s vital organs, ESPN reported.

After his diagnosis, the doctor told the coach to “‘go home, make peace with your family and your friends, make sure your will’s in order, and call hospice.’ They gave me four to six weeks to live. That’s them telling me you’re going to die.” The doctor gave him four to six weeks to live.

But he decided to keep fighting, proving to his athletes that “you’re going to have problems. You’re going to have adversity. You’re going to have to suck it up. No matter how bleak things you think they are, that obstacle — you can break through it. That you can survive.”

Hester began immunotherapy and chemotherapy treatments in April; however, neither worked the way he had hoped.

Now, Hester pursues numerous other treatment options.

“That entire bucket of supplements I take twice a day, bringing it to work. The modalities that I utilize are the hyperbaric chamber, UVIV transfusion, saunas, and then a whole lot of natural anti-inflammatories. So I’m trying to kill cancer in a thousand different ways,” Hester described in an interview with ESPN.

But the hardest part of cancer for him isn’t the medications or treatments; it’s the constant fatigue.

“The chronic fatigue — I think that’s probably one of the worst things with cancer — is that you really have to fight through fatigue,” he said.

Despite his cancer diagnosis, Hester rarely misses a practice or game, and he continues to work out with the team.

“They’re like my therapy. They give you a reason to fight harder,” he explained.

Hester concluded his interview with an update on his current health.

“Right now, all my blood markers are in that normal range. A lot of the tumors were receding. So, something’s working. Death is undefeated, but I’ll take it to three overtimes. That’s strength,” he shared. “There’s nothing that you can throw at me that’s going to make me stop. I’m unbreakable.”

A video posted to his social media page sees Hester completing a set of farmer carries in the Houston weight room with 100-pound kettlebells in each hand.

“14 weeks ago, I was supposed to be dead & I could only walk 10 yds without sitting down, breathless & in pain. I started by just walking a little further 2x per day. Diet & Movement are key to winning the battle,” he wrote in the caption. “Squatting, hinging, & rucking are modalities that can be performed at various intensities dependent on your strength levels. One step, one body squat at a time, pushing yourself a little further each day.”