Aussie golfer’s touching message to supporters as he enters palliative care
Australian golfer Jarrod Lyle has described himself as the “luckiest golfer going around” in a touching message from his hospital bed, after he made the heartbreaking decision to end treatment and begin palliative care in his long fight against leukaemia.
In an interview recorded on Tuesday with friend and Golf Australia media manager Mark Hayes, Jarrod, 36, spoke openly about what lies ahead.
“I feel like I’m the luckiest golfer going around, because so many people took an interest in me, and took an interest in my fight,” the former PGA Tour player said on the Gold Australia podcast Inside the Ropes.
“To have so many friends around the world, whether they’re spectators, golfers, marshals, whatever, to have that kind of support (at) every tournament, is a great feeling.
“It’s going to be hard to leave that behind, but they know that I love them, they know that all the fighting that I did was to get back out and play golf again.
“To have the support from all those people was just a tremendous feeling.
“It’s going to be hard, but at some point it’s going to happen and they’ll get on with their lives, and I just feel very, very lucky.”
Jarrod, widely considered one of the most likeable figures in world sport, suffered a recurrence of acute myeloid leukaemia last year. It’s the third time he’s been diagnosed with the disease.
On Tuesday, his wife Briony passed on the devastating news that Jarrod’s body “cannot take any more” and he would enter palliative care.
She wrote: "Earlier today Jarrod made the decision to stop active treatment and begin palliative care.
"He has given everything that he's got to give, and his poor body cannot take anymore.
"We'll be taking him closer to home in the next couple of days so he can finally leave the hospital.
"We have done our best to 'control' the narrative surrounding Jarrod's illness and treatment, and as more and more people become involved in this final process I'm not sure how much longer this development will remain private.
"Jarrod knows he is loved, and the thousands of prayers and well wishes that have been sent his way have kept him going through some incredibly tough times.
"But he has reached his limit, and the docs have finally agreed that they can no longer strive for a positive outcome.
"My focus as of today is on our girls and doing whatever I can to get them through the challenges ahead.
"Jarrod will be closer to them very soon, and will spend as much time as he can with them.
"When it's appropriate, I will post details of a memorial service. In the meantime we ask that you respect our privacy at this difficult time."
The heartbreaking news sparked an outpouring of emotion for the Lyle family, particularly from fellow Aussie golfers Adam Scott, Jason Day and Marc Leishman.
“He is one of the best blokes there is,” Scott said.
“Given all the difficulties he's had since his late teens, he has lived the best life he could with the tough cards he has been dealt.
“He played such good golf while battling illness; he has been through it all.
“His positivity and general demeanour has been so good and so infectious on others; it's a good way to think of how I should live my life.
“It shouldn't have to have something like this to remember that's what it's all about.”