In a new interview with Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking, the courageous teenager said he was “out of the woods” for now, although he would continue to need weekly blood tests and other monitoring for decades to come.
“It’s a slow journey to recovery, but I mean … I’m taking each day at a time,” he said.
“I’m obviously not exactly as I was before the whole process that I’ve been through, but I’m definitely getting back towards there, so that’ll be the focus for the next six months.”
Last year, Jake’s powerful prizegiving speech went viral after the video was shared on YouTube. At the time, he had been undergoing chemotherapy and the school had made plans to film the ceremony so he could watch it from the hospital.
However, the teen stunned everyone when he appeared on stage to deliver his speech in person. Seated in a wheelchair and flanked by supportive teachers, Jake addressed his fellow students with these stirring words: “Here’s the thing – none of us get out of life alive. So be gallant, be great, be gracious, and be grateful for the opportunities that you have,” he told his assembled peers.
“We don’t know where we might end up, or when it might end up.”
Jake had written the speech before receiving his diagnosis of Burkitt non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but the news only made the words more powerful.
“You’ve got to wonder – it’s almost like it was meant to be,” he told Mike.
The Christchurch student said his health issues began with jaw pain. Jake was initially thought to have an infection in his wisdom teeth, but when the pains continued after the teeth were removed, he was admitted to hospital and diagnosed a week later.
For now, the teen says he is “cautiously” looking forward to the future. There are potential plans to relocate to the Gold Coast for some of the year, and he is still interested in studying commerce and law at the University of Auckland at some point, but he said other opportunities had also come his way since the speech.
“It’s been a very difficult process naturally, but with the support that I’ve had from family and friends, and also the incredible medical team at Christchurch Hospital, it’s been a lot easier than it could have been. I’m very grateful for that,” he said.
