Flyers' broadcaster Jason Myrtetus on battle with Stage 4 colorectal cancer: 'I'm not going to stop living'
Flyers broadcaster Jason Myrtetus in the fight of His Life
Alex and Thomas talk to Flyers' broadcaster, Jason Myrtetus, about his battle with stage 4 colorectal cancer.
PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia Flyers radio broadcaster Jason Myrtetus is in the fight of his life, battling stage 4 colorectal cancer for the third time. The 54-year-old husband and father of three isn't letting the life-threatening diagnosis keep him from living life to the fullest.
What they're saying:
Joining Good Day Philadelphia on Wednesday, Myrtetus said he is currently undergoing aggressive rounds of chemotherapy split up into 12 sessions over 24 weeks after his cancer returned and spread.
"My cancer responds to treatment, but it likes to return," Myrtetus told Alex Holley and Thomas Drayton. "This time it came back and became a bit of a brush fire, and spread into my lungs, my liver, and some other areas."
Myrtetus said he has seven sessions of chemotherapy left, but the recovery process gets harder every time. Doctors have given him a timeframe of six months to 2 years.
Myrtetus previously beat cancer two times, before it returned again and spread to his lungs, liver, and other areas.
"You think you have all this time and my morality is in my face," Myrtetus said. "Those numbers are based on historical data, which is in the past, and I'm not a walking statistic. I think I get a say in the matter. I wake up each day to defy those odds."
Myrtetus credited his family – wife Angela and their three children ages 15, 18, and 20 – for supporting him through his cancer battle.
"I'm not going to stop living," Myrtetus said. "I'm not going to let cancer take more from me, it's already taken enough."
Big picture view:
While an expansive support network has helped keep Myrtetus going, the hockey community has also wrapped its arms around the radio broadcaster. The Philadelphia Flyers named Myrtetus "player of the game" after he delivered an inspirational speech that helped the team earn their first win of the season.
Myrtetus credited his family – wife Angela and their three children ages 15, 18, and 20 – for supporting him through his cancer battle.
"It's a huge honor," said Myrtetus. "That's a very sacrosanct place, a locker room, that's for the players."
Myrtetus didn't divulge much about what he said in the speech, but described it as very personal and heavy.
What you can do:
Myrtetus is also helping others fighting their own battles against cancer through the 'Strike Out Cancer" fundraiser.
The effort began years ago, when Myrtetus worked at a local sports radio station with Melissa Demyan. Together, the pair spearheaded the benefit at the station, then Demyan took over until the COVID pandemic.
Striking Out Cancer will hold a fundraiser this Sunday at Chickie's and Pete's in South Philadelphia. The event benefits Jayson Myrtetus and the Adolescent and Young Adults Colon Cancer Fund at Abramson Cancer Center.
Tickets are $85 per person, and include a three-hour open bar and two-hour buffet. Tickets can be purchased at here.
The Source: Information in this article provided by Good Day Philadelphia.