Just one week before his final school assembly, Christchurch Boys High School’s Head Boy, Jake Bailey, was told that he may not have long to live.
The 18 year old NZ student was bed-ridden and absent from school for three weeks while undergoing treatment for aggressive cancer.
But during his final school prize-giving ceremony he managed to give an inspirational speech from his wheelchair.
“None of us get out of life alive, so be gallant, be great, be gracious and be grateful for the opportunities you have” Jake told his audience.
The school listened in silence as he told of his diagnosis with Burkitts non-Hodgkinson lymphoma, one of the fastest growing tumours.
See link from The New Daily to story and video of speech below:
John Laurence Menadue is the publisher of Pearls & Irritations. He has had a distinguished career both in the private sector and in the Public Service.