Red Sox color commentator Jerry Remy is taking an indefinite leave of absence to fully recover from the effects of cancer surgery.
"I want to focus on completing my recovery so that I can return to work without distractions or interruptions," said Remy, a former smoker who underwent surgery for lung cancer late last year.
Remy expected a more immediate return but suffered a setback due to an infection and subsequent case of pneumonia. He now hopes his experience serves as a cautionary tale about the adverse health effects of smoking.
"I hope that disclosing my bout with cancer will reinforce the dangers of smoking to every member of Red Sox Nation, especially children," said Remy ...
May 6, 2009
Remy Recovering From Lung Cancer Surgery
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I was wondering where he went. Hopefully he gets well soon...in the meantime I don't think Ek is too bad. He had a good call of the Joba plunking last night.
There's always something a little off-putting about ex-smokers getting religion. Sort of like Bristol Palin going around preaching teen chastity now that I've had mine!And, really, isn't it a little late in the day for a lecture from a professional athlete (or a former one) about the sanctity of the temple of the body?
Oh, no, lung cancer!?
My dad died from lung cancer.
As you know, this is what I suspected. "Chest infection" and "pneumonia" are what people hear and say before they are diagnosed with lung cancer. I thought his absences were recovery from chemo.
"There's always something a little off-putting about ex-smokers getting religion."
The man has lung cancer, which is almost always fatal. And it's caused by his own actions. You might seek to empathize with his regret, and save your judgements.
L-girl said...
"There's always something a little off-putting about ex-smokers getting religion."
The man has lung cancer, which is almost always fatal. And it's caused by his own actions. You might seek to empathize with his regret, and save your judgements.
Well said........Jesus, ya think Remy didn't know smoking was bad...
I wonder if golfine feels the same way about recovering alcholics, and drug addicts..........If Remy's illness can make one person stop smoking, then his statement did some good....I hope the RemDawg gets well soon......
Please, no one pass judgment on him for his lung cancer. No one *deserves* lung cancer. No one. Find me a smoker who is proud of their habit. No one is proud of it.
Aw...
Fuck, I didn't know about his bout last year. I was pretty shocked to hear this, and just hope hope that he will be ok. *sends woofy luv the rem dawg* xoxoxo
Also I think the display of lurve here is bad. C'mon, people feel our thoughts....be kind and fucking radiate fucking love godammnit.
fuck.
I'm sorry, Laura, but I can't withhold judgement. It has nothing to do with sympathy for the man, his pain and fear, his thoughts, his distress. Those, believe me, I can do.
What annoys me and what I judge is the official 'culture' surrounding kids; the idea that athletes have moral or life lessons to teach them or should be role models.
It's just bathos and sentimentality and since it coexists with huge social cruelty and indifference to children's well-being and health, remarks like Remy's act as a substitute for any real concern. It's like we don't need health care--if only people would listen to Jerry Remy.
And: He's dealt with it all in a very old-fashioned and silly way--the whole business about 'chest infections' dates back to the era when it was taboo to say 'cancer.' It doesn't do society or kids any favor to return to that era of euphemism--sure, it's his life and business, except that he's chosen to live a public life and so what he says and does become fair game for public judgement.
And: there is not one type of lung cancer. Remy may not realize it, but there are lifelong nonsmokers who still get forms of lung cancer. I don't know and I don't think anyone in the public knows what sort of cancer he has. It may not have been caused by smoking. So, it's not quite right to draw a link without offering the public the necessary information.
As for alcoholics and drug addicts--do I feel the same way? Do I think it's appropriate for them to testify and witness to the world their story? Not if they are doing so to warn kids off or at least if they do it in that Nancy-Reaganish just-say-no way. If they want to say that getting high, getting drunk, and smoking tobacco are some of life's greatest pleasures, which is why they did it, but for whatever reasons, they and their bodies could not handle the aftereffects, then, sure, that's the whole truth and it might benefit kids to know it.
But there's something weird and crazy-making about a world that pretends that if only kids would listen to grown-ups about avoiding dangerous pleasures, they could be much happier. How's that been working out?
There are always people complaining about former (insert vice, addiction, habit here).
Well, maybe one person, like someone said here said, will have a little trigger go through their head "gee maybe I shouldn't drink and drive / smoke / take PED / (insert_other_circle_the_drain_problem here)"
I was wondering, however if Eck would add his $.02 about his on-going recovery from alcoholism. Probably not.....
How very sad. Like Laura, I suspected something was seriously wrong when I saw how thin Jerry was at the first broadcast. Since no one was complimenting him on his weight loss, I knew it was not intentional.
Do you think current athletes are less likely to smoke than those who played thirty years ago like Remy? He is my generation, and even though we all knew that smoking was bad for you back then, most of us smoked. (I quit in 1978 after an uncle died from lung cancer.) It amazes and saddens me to see how many young people are smoking, despite all we know, despite all the places where you can no longer smoke (including Fenway---YAY!), despite the high cost of cigarettes. What will it take for people to learn not to start?
I hope none of you folks smoke. Not trying to lecture or be self-righteous; just worrying about everyone's well-being.
"I'm sorry, Laura, but I can't withhold judgement"
Then I'm sorry for you. You're missing a piece of your humanity.
"Since no one was complimenting him on his weight loss, I knew it was not intentional."
I remember you mentioning Remy's weight loss. I said to Allan, men that age don't suddenly lose large amounts of weight, at least not without mentioning dieting struggles. And you know Remy, if he were dieting, we'd hear about it! A man his age might lose some paunch, but he's not going to suddenly be so thin, unless he's seriously ill. That plus former smoker plus "pneumonia" or "chest infection"... I figured.
There are many preventable diseases in the world. And many human needs, addictions, weaknesses - whatever word we choose. It's just very sad.
"He's dealt with it all in a very old-fashioned and silly way--the whole business about 'chest infections' dates back to the era when it was taboo to say 'cancer.'"
That's true. Next time he should check with you. You can counsel him on the modern, up-to-date, JohnGoldfine-approved way of dealing with being handed a death sentence, when you're a public figure.
As Amy said recently on my blog, I'll keep most of my feelings here to myself.
"He's dealt with it all in a very old-fashioned and silly way--the whole business about 'chest infections' dates back to the era when it was taboo to say 'cancer.'"
It seems obvious that Remy has been dealing with this for several months from remarks that Francona made last night at the press conference. Like every other human being, he and his family were entitled to privacy and owed no one any explanation or confession of what was wrong. Just because he has a job that puts him in the public eye does not mean that he has waived all his rights to privacy. The fact that he has now disclosed what is going on must be very painful for him and his family. It's hard to imagine why anyone would not feel sympathetic and understanding. Even harder to imagine why someone would condemn him for trying to maintain a sense of dignity and privacy in these difficult times.
This is a huge bummer. I guess I never really realized how much I cared for the guy. Hopefully his recovery goes well and he can get back to the booth.
It seems obvious that Remy has been dealing with this for several months from remarks that Francona made last night at the press conference.
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The statement said he had surgery late last year.
It would be great if Remy came out and said "I have cancer and I'll likely die many, many more years before I would have if I had not smoked ...." and avoided all this "under the weather" stuff, but that's not what he chose to do.
For who knows what reasons. Maybe they caught it very early and he thought he could move on, be relatively healthy and avoid the attention. Remy appears on TV for a few hours every day, but he does not seem like a guy who wants to be in a bright spotlight.
Most people don't announce their bad news to the world: "I'm depressed", "I have cancer", "I'm an alcoholic", "I tried to kill himself", etc.
For what it's worth, my opinions are formed and informed by my experience--they're not just something I dreamed up to slag Jerry Remy. But I certainly don't mean to play the troll here and anger people by further arguing a POV that fails to attract any agreement.
There's nothing trollish going on. Disagreement is not discouraged, though in this case, going around and around will probably be unproductive.
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"I tried to kill himself"
oops!
JohnGF, all of our opinions are formed by our own experiences, and by our own emotions and empathy. No one thought you were a troll or dreamed anything up to be mean to Remy.
Amy, very nice, thanks for that.
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