From PFWA:

Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry, who overcame a diagnosis of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in late 2014 to return to the field and have an All-NFL season in 2015, has been selected as the 2016 George Halas Award winner by theProfessional Football Writers of America (PFWA).

Berry, the 47th Halas Award winner, is the first member of the Chiefs franchise to receive the honor from the PFWA.

Other 2016 nominees for the Halas Award were New Orleans Saints cornerback Delvin Breaux, Carolina Panthers special teams coordinator Bruce DeHaven, Buffalo Bills guard Richie Incognito, Cincinnati Bengals quarterbackCarson Palmer and New England Patriots offensive lineman Nate Solder.

The Halas Award is given to a NFL player, coach or staff member who overcomes the most adversity to succeed. The award is named for Halas, a charter member (1963) of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, who was associated with the Chicago Bears and NFL from their inception in 1920 until his death in 1983 as an owner, manager, player and promoter. Halas won 324 games and six NFL titles in 40 seasons as a coach.

Berry was involved in a collision with an Oakland Raiders player in a Nov. 20, 2014 game and noticed chest pain in the aftermath. Four days later, a cancerous mass was found inside his chest, and Berry was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

He went through six rounds of chemotherapy treatment from Dec. 10, 2014 until May 13, 2015. Berry was declared cancer free June 22, and he was on the field for the first training camp practice July 29.

Berry returned to the Kansas City starting lineup in Week 2. He played in all 16 games (15 starts), was third on the team in tackles with 61 (55 solo) and had a pair of interceptions. He was voted to the 2015 PFWA All-NFL and All-AFC teams, earned a Pro Bowl berth and he was selected as the PFWA’s 2015 Comeback Player of the Year.