Fox40's Mike Sands disclosed the heartbreaking news this week that he is leaving the station and returning to Philadelphia, PA. The beloved sportscaster has been fighting cancer for quite some time but things took a tragic turn. The video of his announcement is posted below.
Keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Marshall Ramsey penned this tribute in a column yesterday.
Mike Sands came to us from Philadelphia, PA after a stop in Greenville. Paired with the talented Faith Payne, they were the faces I’d see when I’d tune into the 9:00 p.m. news on Fox40. Mike always seemed affable and did a good job. Then he faced the fight for his life. At 27, he was diagnosed with liposarcoma, a beast of a cancer that has had him fighting ever since.
The only time I have personally met Mike is when he came on my radio show. He was in the middle of fighting a recurrence of the cancer and I’ll be honest, our studio wasn’t big enough to fit his spirit and will to live. I can’t describe it. As optimistic and strong as Mike Sands seems on TV and on Social Media, in person it was even more powerful.
You can’t help but pull for him. He’s the upbeat person who comes into your living room every night after all.
WLBT (whose parent company also owns Fox40) posted a tearful video that I watched this morning. The chemo is no longer stopping his cancer’s spread. He is going home to Philadephia to try immunotherapy as a last shot. Mike was choked up but still strong. Faith Payne was trying to be strong, too. I know this is hard on her as well.
As a cancer survivor, I sat there and watched a strong man live my worst nightmare. The darkness in the room was pierced by the light from my phone and from Mike’s remaining strength.
Part of me thinks, “Dammit, this isn’t fair! Here is a guy who has done EVERYTHING right!” Part of me prayed. And part of me thinks one of the best ways we all can honor Mike’s fight is to go out there and live our lives with the same gusto and strength he has exhibited.
TV folks come and go out of Jackson and our lives. I’m glad Mike Sands stopped into ours. He has set the bar high for how passionate we all should live our lives.
15 comments:
I hope Mike know how much he is loved in Jackson. He is brave and courageous and will miss watching his show.
I lost my dad to a large diffused B-Cell non-hodgkins lymphoma from celiac's disease. Worst horrible memory of my life. Chemo couldn't go past the "blood brain barrier". Hr didn't know who i was in the end.CT scans "with contrast" is always the better scan. He had these brain emcephalthopies that looked like little clouds in his brain. GD you cancer GD you all to hell!
A blessing for Mike: The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. AMEN.
The 2018 Nobel Prize in Medicine went to the developer of immunotherapy. My dad's best friend was in one of the trials about 3 or 4 years ago that demonstrated it worked, and he has been free of malignant melanoma since then. I don't know if it has been tried against liposarcoma but Penn (also in Philadelphia) was where his friend was treated with immunotherapy.
To sad to watch.
Cut down in the prime of life.
Hope & pray he's not facing this alone.
God give him strength. It makes me count my enormous and undeserved blessings.
I don't think there was a dry eye watching that. May God bless Mike and his family and all those he has affected.
Can we not take the Lord's Name in Vain while demonizing Cancer. Shame on you for cursing GOD. GOD Bless Mr. Sands.
I'm a Breast Cancer Survivor and I'm thankful every day that I'm in remission for now. I pray that immunotherapy works for Mike. I'll be keeping him in my prayers......I hate cancer with a passion. Took my precious Daddy and lots of other important people in my life.
Please reply 9:46 AM
what does large diffused B-Cell non-hodgkins lymphoma from celiac's disease have to do with celiac's disease? Celiac disease is allergic to wheat which destroy the lining of the small intestines. Don't get the connection with cancer?/////
Father, we lift Mike up to you and pray for a miracle of healing for him. We pray you will use the course of treatment he is seeking to stop the cancer that is taking him from us. All good things come from you and we pray you will provide this good thing for Mike.
To you we give our thanks for what we hope you will do for Mike.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen
While I have never met Mike, his fight and plight recall the late Stephanie Bell Flynt who fought cancer
mightily with strength we rarely see. Now we see it again in this wonderful man Mike Sands who we
pray will return to us here in Mississippi stronger than ever!
Mike is in our thoughts and prayers. He has been such a great asset to this community. Sorry to see him leave Jackson, but my hope is that he will heal and return.
Any mystic muffin in the sky that would allow this to happen deserves to be cursed.
Cancer can be cursed in whatever way we want to curse it.
Those were words. Get over it.
@8:49 - You must be a delightful person to be around...
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