The final, final step came June 1, when a quick procedure to remove the port in James Conner's chest unlocked the official return of the former ACC player of the year.
A few days of rest, and off came the physical restrictions -- and on came preparations for the 2016 season.
"There were four or five people holding him down out of anesthesia," family friend and mentor Mike Gallagher said, in an ever-appropriate analogy.
Nearly a month removed from the doctor's call that told him he was cancer-free, little now stands between Conner and his full return to the field for Pitt.