Stynes cancer battle

Whyner

Very sad news...

Demons legend Jim Stynes speaks of battle with cancer

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25720997-661,00.html

Xavi6

Yeah listened to the press conference today and it was very sad to hear. Hopefully the media respect his wishes for privacy.

Horrible fucked up accent he has though! :pac:

bruschi

yeah hopefully he'll get through it ok. sad for a young man with a nice young family too.

garbanzo

Very, very sad indeed. I used to play gaelic with Jim as a kid growing up in Rathfarnham and he was always nothing but a decent guy. He's achieved a huge amount in sport and I wish him well in his battle.

thegen

Is there any update on how he is doing?

Flairpinnedme

they found a tumor very recently, he's currently doing chemo. he's still very positive and upbeat

you can follow his progress on his twitter:
http://twitter.com/jimstynes

thegen

Flairpinnedme wrote: »

they found a tumor very recently, he's currently doing chemo. he's still very positive and upbeat

you can follow his progress on his twitter:
http://twitter.com/jimstynes

Yes I had heard they found three more tumors, but this info is coming back to Dublin and I was afraid people were adding their own bit each time it got relayed. I played with Jim in BBSE and was luck enough to win an under age county championship with him. Hope he keeps the fight going.

Xavi6

The latest on Jim -

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2009/10/21/1255891861798.html

Stynes' men rally for the cause

IN THE image of the club of which he was a champion, whose survival cause he later championed, and whom he addressed at last night's best-and-fairest count, Jim Stynes hopes he has bottomed out.

Stynes, four times Melbourne best-and-fairest, now president, but a cancer patient since July, appeared at last night's function with his head shaved. It accentuated his smile, and the sparkle in his eyes. At times during his gruelling treatment, he has lost his sight and voice, but both were clear and strong last night. He was met with a standing ovation.

"Nude nut — it's hard not to notice," he said. "I was hoping to come in with a No. 2, but . . ." His daughter was shocked, he said, but his son thought it was cool.

Earlier in the day, Stynes had Tweeted an update to the many who are keeping vigil with him electronically. "Just had the head shaved, feels great, never had the guts when I played, but wish I had now," he wrote. "My boy loves it."

Stynes told guests that he had just completed two weeks of radiation therapy, would now have a four-week break from treatment, then more radiation at the end of November that would, "please God, finish it off".

Vice-president Don McClarty, Stynes' proxy since his illness, paid tribute to Stynes' indomitable spirit, and the way he was prepared to make such a public spectacle of his therapy. "While most people would be feeling sorry for himself, Jim's reinvented himself," he said. "What an education it has been for us, and what a hero to all those battling cancer."

Last night was testimony to what can only be called the Stynes effect at Melbourne. More than 800 came, a cross-section of the 10,000 who have already bought memberships for next season. McClarty noted: "We're possibly the most positive wooden spooner in AFL history."

Stynes called the night a celebration. The club had been saved and restructured, he said. Benefactors had kicked in more than $3 million, philanthropy unprecedented in AFL history. The team had bottomed out, now the classic path of rebuilding football clubs, guaranteeing it a choice selection of recruits. "I see it as the dawning of a new era," said Stynes. "We're now in a position where we're on our way back, and that's a great feeling."

What was needed now, he added, was patience. It is a virtue he has come to know all too well.

dcr22B

An update of Jim Stynes' battle:

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26970316-23211,00.html?from=public_rss

Keep it up big man, hope you can pull through this.

thegen

Posted on his twitter account.

http://twitpic.com/1fztld

I know Jim well having played football with him all the way up. Hope he can pull through.

dcr22B

Keep up the good recovery Stynesy!

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/asia-pacific/brave-jim-stynes-inspires-fans-and-players-alike-2144733.html?start=1

SSK

dcr22B wrote: »

Keep up the good recovery Stynesy!

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/asia-pacific/brave-jim-stynes-inspires-fans-and-players-alike-2144733.html?start=1

Hope his recovery is successful, he's clearly a much loved and respected figure down under.

One thing that I've wondered about since I've started following Aussie Rules in the last couple of years is why his achievements haven't been recognised as much over here as they possibly should be. As far as I'm concerned he should be considered one of Ireland's greatest ever sportspeople considering his achievements in a sport he only took up at a late age in a country on the other side of the world:

Brownlow Medallist (only non-Australian to win it)
AFL Hall of Fame
Most consecutive games played (244, unlikely to ever be beaten)
4 time club Best & Fairest
Melbourne Team of the Century
2 Time All-Australian
AFL Players Association MVP

I hope the form of his young Melbourne team at the moment is keeping his spirits up, another fantastic win yesterday over the previously unbeaten Lions

Shane10

he was on off the ball last night on newstalk. sounded good in himself, said he was back in the gym now. prob only light stuff at this stage to keep fit and get out of the house. pity eoin didnt ask him any questions on his football career, but maybe they had just arranged to talk about his cancer.

rebel girl 15

Shane10 wrote: »

he was on off the ball last night on newstalk. sounded good in himself, said he was back in the gym now. prob only light stuff at this stage to keep fit and get out of the house. pity eoin didnt ask him any questions on his football career, but maybe they had just arranged to talk about his cancer.

Thats great to hear!