Fresno man battling cancer gets heartwarming surprise from NFL star

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A heartwarming virtual visit from an NFL star lifted the spirits of a Fresno man as he battles Stage 3 stomach cancer.

The remarkable surprise came as Martin Hinojosa recovered from a recent surgery in his fight against the disease.

NFL star Zach Banner of the Pittsburgh Steelers appeared via FaceTime to his bedside to give a little extra motivation.

Hinojosa was diagnosed with stage 3 stomach cancer back in June.

He immediately went through the chemo process and was then transferred to Stanford Hospital for surgery.

He's been there for the last three weeks.

"They end up having to take a lot more of my esophagus than they wanted to and they also had to remove my stomach and my spleen and also about half of my diaphragm," he says.

Hinojosa's daughter Renee reached out on social media for a shoutout from the team and Banner answered personally.

The pep talk from Banner came at Hinojosa's lowest point for the Fresno man.

"It was an uplifting call to be honest with you. I can't say enough. I was very pleasantly surprised. I mean for him to take the time out of his schedule to reach out meant a lot and it still means a lot to me to this day," he says.

On Monday night, Hinojosa was released from the hospital and came back to Fresno. He says he's excited to return home but he still has a long way to go.

"It's been a lot to endure but I know the end result is to get through this and be cancer-free. And be there for my family and that's what's giving me the motivation," he says.

And they're not the only ones. The Steelers may be the only undefeated team this season, but just like him, they're not done fighting yet.