Christchurch teenager Jake Bailey has delivered another inspirational speech about his battle against cancer.
The former head boy of Christchurch Boys' High School hit headlines around the world in 2015 after delivering a rousing speech at his school's end-of-year prizegiving.
Bailey was not expected to make the ceremony after being diagnosed with Burkitt's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma only a week earlier.
He left the cancer ward in a wheelchair to talk to his peers about making the most of each day.
During Bailey's now-famous speech he told fellow students and the school community: "None of us get out of life alive, so be gallant, be great, be gracious, and be grateful for the opportunities you have. We don't know where we might end up, or when we might end up."
Now Bailey has delivered another powerful speech, filled with wisdom beyond his years, at a cancer charity dinner in Australia.
During the Tour de Cure Australia Snow Ball in Sydney, Bailey talked about his battle with cancer and how he learned to appreciate every day.
"I wake up and I realise that I'm not in another hospital bed and I'm not in a box in the ground and I smile.
"Every day starts with me not being dead, and what a fantastic way to start each day."
Earlier this year, Bailey put plans to attend university on hold, his illness forcing him to "re-evaluate your priorities in life".
"[I'm] looking at opportunities to share my story if it could help other people, particularly young people who are experiencing tough times.
"There have been offers for me to speak to people. No other offers. No movie offers yet."
In his latest speech, Bailey talked about time in an isolation unit and his days spent in hospital.
"The first night there I lay in a slumber, in a strange place, surrounded by complete strangers.
"I did not pray to live. Instead I asked if this was going to be the thing that killed me, that I faced it with strength.
"If it was going to kill me, it would do it on my terms, and I would not die a coward. Not wanting to let fear dictate my death anymore than it had dictated my life.
"But no, no way, there was not a chance in hell that I was going to die of this."
During his treatment Bailey learned some important life lessons, like what it means to embrace each day.
"I was dying to get home from school, I was dying for the weekends, I was dying for the school holidays, and then before I knew it I was dying in Christchurch hospital," he said.
"The most important thing that this has taught me is to take each day at a time."
Bailey has been in remission for four months now and his battle with cancer has put life into perspective.
"There's no excuse to not appreciate life fully.
"You owe it to the people who are unable to."
source:http://www.stuff.co.nz
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