Anticipation is building in the Stallings home!
AS he prepares for the birth of his first child, news emerged this morning Australian golfer and cancer survivor Jarrod Lyle has reportedly been struck down by leukaemia for a second time.
The 30-year-old was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia as a 17-year-old but overcame nine months of bed rest and chemotherapy to become a professional golfer on the US PGA Tour.
Lyle achieved the highest finish of his US PGA Tour career at the Northern Trust Open a little over a fortnight ago when he finished in a tie for fourth alongside Sergio Garcia.
Lyle flew back to Australia last week for the birth of his first child, now due to be induced on Friday after the health revelations.
Close friend and fellow Australian golfer Robert Allenby, who befriended Lyle during his first stint with cancer, commented on the news via social network Twitter at 2am this morning.
"My heart goes out to my mate, great golfer Jarrod Lyle. New baby coming tomorrow & big fight at cancer again ,'' Allenby wrote
After beating leukaemia in 1999 - then learning chemotherapy would not prevent him from having kids after all - the 30-year-old from Victoria said he had never felt better during the recent Australian summer of golf.
"On the course it's been really rough, but off the course it's been an awesome year,'' Lyle said in November.
"I got engaged this year, and my fiancée is pregnant as well. Pregnancy was something I didn't know could happen. I was told by the doctors fertility could be an issue. To be told Briony was pregnant made golf seem insignificant, and the bad days don't affect you at all. It feels like nothing could worry me now.''
Unfortunately, Lyle was forced to pull out of the Honda Classic in Florida last week and returned home to Australia because of an arm infection caused by a bite from an insect in Mexico.
Lyle's two professional tournament wins came in 2008 when he claimed victories at the Mexican Open and Knoxville Open on the (US) Nationwide Tour.
(I took the article from http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/golf/australian-golfer-jarrod-lyle-struck-down-with-cancer/story-e6frey60-1226294407957)
