The 2018 Kentucky football season has been filled with so many positives, but not without some real life adversity.
Take sophomore outside linebacker Josh Paschal.
Paschal was projected to be an impact player for the Cats in the offseason, but began the season in a fight for his life after noticing something on the bottom of his right foot.
"It was probably the size of a small mole that you would see. I had noticed it and thought it was a blood blister," Paschal said.
He was not the only one. UK athletic trainer for football Gabe Amponsah agreed, but wanted a second opinion.
"I said alright let's get you to the podiatrist so we can get you evaluated.[It] could be a plantar wart that looks like a blood blister," Amponsah remembered.
The dermatologist evaluated his foot, took and biopsy, and just like that, Paschal's life had changed.
"It just made you stop what you were doing and stop thinking about other things and focus on what's doing on at that moment," Paschal said. "It's like a punch in the stomach."
Eventually, the shock wore off and Paschal was ready to stop worrying and start fighting.
"I just couldn't see myself just sitting there, letting this get the best of me," Paschal said. "I wanted to get the best of it."
Paschal underwent several surgeries, and then that's when the rehab process started. His goal: to get back to playing football this season.
But Paschal's journey wasn't easy.
"Little bit of setbacks when you start pounding and doing a lot of activity that was hard for Josh to take," Amponsah said. "At the end of the day, we said look where we've come from to where we are."
As he continued to fight and go through rehabilitation, he inspired fans and teammates. After Kentucky's win over Florida, the team returned with a game ball for Paschal, encouraging him in his journey and waiting for him to return.
"He never had a bad day," Amponsah said. "It's unbelievable for a kid, 19-20-years-old, to be able to handle what he's gone through with a positive attitude through the whole experience."
And midway through the season, Paschal was finally able to return. He found himself no the practice field with his brothers, working to get back in the game.
"When you almost have something taken away from you, and when you're so close to not being able to do what you love, you learn to cherish it and take it with gratitude and not for granted," Paschal said.
Paschal played in the final two games of the season for the Cats, a simple tackle against Middle Tennessee marking something special.
"Just having him out there with me just fills my heart up with joy," teammate Josh Allen said.
While his journey back to the team does not mark the end of his battle with cancer, Paschal knows it's the beginning of the rest of your life.
"Hopefully the future is bright and I'm going to continue to work and pray and just do what I can to control the outcome," said Paschal.
