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Presents an Interview with Amatuer boxer Jamie WoodAt Hospital Jamie had an X-Ray and the hospital said “There wasn’t much they could do” as they X-Ray didn’t show anything. Jamie then had a CT scan and the hospital discovered a little tumor behind Jamies right sinus. The Hospital were worried and asked Jamie to come back the next day to see a Doctor.
The next morning Jamie had a Biopsy under General Anesthetic, it was the worst pain Jamie had ever felt. The Doctor had to cut through the roof of Jamies mouth to were the tumor was.
A week later Jamie arrived at the Hospital for his test results. Jamie his mum and dad were put in a little room to wait on the tests arriving, Jamie thought this doesn’t look good. Two Gentleman arrived with the results and an unhappy look on there faces. The doctor said to Jamie “Were sorry to tell you the tumor is cancerous”. Jamie had Ewing Sarcoma Cancer.
Since then Jamie has had 8 Strong Chemotherapy sessions to shrink the tumor. Jamie then had an operation to remove the tumor, which resulted in Jamie having Eight front teeth removed and the pallet of his mouth. Remarkably Jamie has kept training all the way through his treatment and has kept eating healthily.
Boxing has helped Jamie keep focus with the discipline and self respect that comes with his training. Jamie has a few light Chemotherapy sessions remaining and if all goes well Surgeons are planning the reconstruction of his mouth so he can still have a boxing career and hopefully realize his dream to turn professional one day
Interview
Yes it was a huge shock for me and my family, but i was determined to beat this evil thing and not let it get in the way of my dreams! my advice to youngsters is to stay strong and do not give up, you need the love of your family that is the most important thing.
How has boxing helped you get through this terrible time of your life? Has it helped you feel mentally stronger as well as physically?
What are the chances of the cancer coming back after your last 3 sessions of chemo are over with?
Your determination to maintain your Boxing Dreams despite your health problems is a heartwarming thing. What inspired you to get started in Boxing and what age were you?
You mentioned that you have been training in between your treatment and have been eating properly. I’m sure with the chemo that must have drained you a lot and possibly you struggled to keep your food down. How hard was it to do the treatment as well as keeping fit and eating healthy?
Yes I’ve been training all the way through my treatment, obviously not hard training but just keeping myself ticking over, and diet wise I forced myself to eat healthy, before all this I never used to eat junk food so I tryed my hardest to maintain that. The chemotherapy makes you very very sick and it was hard to keep food down but i just would not give up.
You have spent some time with former heavyweight champion Tim Witherspoon. Being so young, were you familiar with Tim’s career before he visited you? What was the experience of meeting him like and what advice did he give you?
Yes that’s right he’s been there since the very beginning. I only knew from when he boxed Frank bruno, hes been a close friend ever since, he has a great sense of humour and a very warm hearted person. It was a great experience to meet him, to meet any world champion is just an honour, I even go to the gym with him sometimes, I’ve been doing some training with wbo intercontinental lightweight champion Kevin Mitchell hes been a very close freind aswell.
You’re 18 years old, have you set yourself an age that you would like to become a professional fighter and what level of competition do you hope to reach?
Which boxers have been the biggest influences in your life so far and who are your favourite boxers both past and present?
My favourite boxer of all time is Arturro Gatti because we have something in common he would never give up and never surrender, he had the heart of a lion and thats exactly what I am like. Another boxer who i have followed my whole life is Joe calzaghe, him and Arturro Gatti are my two most favourites.
Your mum Tracey is very proud of you and has been getting you a lot of support on Facebook, Steve Bunce’s radio show and boxing websites as well as trying to help you be one of the lucky 8000 to carry the Olympic torch. How much has the support you’ve had from friends and family helped you get through cancer at such a young age and is there anything you would like to say to them?
Yes she has been geting me alot of contacts. I just want to say a big big thank you to everyone who has been there and took the time to visit me I really really appreciate what they have done for me and in return I will be back to put on great shows and one day become a world champion.
Finally, thank you for your time and best wishes from all of us at Ring News 24.
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