After six months of taking it easy on an extended sabbatical my brother is finally back home.
Okay, so if I’m honest it wasn’t quite a fun, relaxing trip or anything. It was a fight against leukaemia.
When he was first diagnosed I was trying to reassure the children that Jim would be okay. ‘How do you know?’ Ben asked me. ‘But how do you know?’
‘Because if anyone can beat this, it’s Jimmy.’
And I believed it with all my heart.
It has been a horrendous journey for him and his fiancee Emily. Emily has been his rock throughout (he’s just about allowing her into the pic above). I’m looking forward to them getting on with their wedding plans so I can finally get the sister I always wanted. As sister-in-laws go, I don’t believe Jim could have found anyone better.
It hasn’t been an easy road for him to travel on but he was put on it and he dealt with it the only way he could; head on, determined and fighting. After a long six months confined to a hospital room during which time he has undergone round after round of chemotheraphy, bone drills, a multitude of drugs, infections, a coma, no immune system at all and a stem call transplant thanks to a donor all the way from Israel, Goldenboy is finally home.
Jim has been out a matter of days but he’s already paying it forward and he and his team will be trekking to raise money for Bloodwise (formerly Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research).
Here’s his story in his own words:
Friday 13th November 2015, I went to hospital. I was told I had Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, an aggressive blood cancer. An entire team came around me to form an army. We fought. Four rounds of chemotherapy. Two weeks in intensive care. Six months isolated in room not being able to open the door, let alone leave the room. A coma. That was scary. Fevers. So were they. Over fifty blood and platelet transfusions. Hundreds of litres of fluids. A stem cell transplant to give me a brand new immune system. I went to hell. Hell didn’t want me. Friday 13th May 2016 came. Three days later, I finally went home.
I am thankful for every press up, run, hike, bicep curl squat and deadlift I ever completed because my body paid me back when I needed it.
Now to pay it forward and fight whilst we do it. Starting with the Thames Bridge Trek. On Saturday 10th September, my team and I will be taking on the 23km, 16 bridge route east along the Thames.
Join me, donate, support. Do what you can because there is no room for passengers when the time comes to fight. Get your shots in early. We are the fighters. We are relentless.
His goal is £650. Click here to donate what you can and help him smash it so he can help someone else smash cancer too.
