Gawker Friend Aaron Jamison Is Joyous to the End
Terminal cancer patient Aaron Jamison has hung on longer than anyone expected. We first met him last year, when he was selling ad space on his cremation urn in order to help his soon-to-be-widowed wife pay the bills. You, the generous Gawker readership, helped them out. Earlier this summer, we heard that Aaron did not have much time left. He's made it this far, but his situation is grave.
Aaron's hometown paper wrote a moving story about him last weekend that should answer any questions that you have about him and his situation. He talks about living on "bonus time," although "some people seem annoyed that he has yet to die." He talks about getting dirty looks when he rides around the grocery store in a motorized cart, because people think he's in it solely because he's overweight. And he talks about trying to maintain a sense of joy for life through it all. Still, even as his own life winds down, his family's problems persist.
His parents moved to New York last year to be closer to a family member who could look after them in old age. Aaron is their only child and he insisted they make the move to give him peace of mind that they would be cared for after he died.
Partly because of financial hardships related to their son's health, they cannot afford to return to Oregon for his memorial.
I'm sorry but Aaron Jamison's relentless good attitude combined with his dire circumstances continues to be one of the most god damn heartbreaking and uplifting things I know of. If you'd like to help the Jamisons, you can find information on Aaron's blog.
