For Jim Ferrell, the last couple of years have been a life-jolting journey without a peaceful destination, a roller-coaster ride without the amusement.
It’s essentially been a personal plight that reminds him daily of his own mortality.
For one of Auburn’s former longtime police officers and well-spoken gentlemen, it’s an ongoing struggle against an insidious disease, a prolonged battle he courageously fights.
Despite receiving energy-sapping treatments, a weakened but resilient man still stands today. The man remains strongly supported by family and friends and eternally optimistic of healthier days ahead.
“I have a catchphrase, ‘I’m just happy to be anywhere,’ ” said the 58-year-old Ferrell, clutching a cup of coffee at Zola’s while glancing at the Auburn Police Department across the rain-stained street. “It’s been a physical, spiritual and psychological journey.
“It’s actually miraculous that I’m here today. For that, I have a greater sense of gratitude.”
Ferrell, a retired police officer who spent 31 years on the Auburn force, considers each day a gift, especially now, this holiday season, a precious time for his profound faith and loving family. Ferrell didn’t expect to come this far, not after doctors discovered more than two years ago that he had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a rare and unforgiving type of cancer. Originally diagnosed to be in stage IV, Ferrell’s cancer had spread to his lymph nodes and bone marrow.
“It’s something I wish no family will have to go through,” said Ferrell’s daughter, Daniela. “I always will remember that day when I first heard about it.”
Initially, doctors gave Ferrell two months to live.
“I had no idea how precarious the situation was,” Ferrell said. “I had to do whatever I could to combat it, but what I didn’t realize at the time was that due to the rarity of the type of cancer that I had, there was no standard treatment for it. … It’s considered inoperable and incurable.”
Ferrell underwent chemotherapy, but the cancer persisted.
Doctors at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance – a world-class cancer treatment center that unites specialists from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, UW Medicine and Seattle Children’s – decided to put Ferrell on a clinical trial treatment with experimental drugs.
So far, the treatments have been effective. Ferrell’s cancer has been in remission.
“The chances that I am here are miraculous because of the fact about 80 percent of those who are diagnosed with this form of cancer 2½ years ago are gone now,” said Ferrell, a father of two. “A lot of them had less (of the) disease than I did.”
For Ferrell, the future remains uncertain. His cancer is prone to relapse. A bone marrow transplant is a good possibility.
To help with the cause, the City of Auburn has planned a blood and donor drive next Thursday at City Hall.
The Ferrells are grateful for the help.
For Daniela, her father’s situation has been the foundation for her platform as a contestant in the Miss Auburn Scholarship Pageant. Daniela, a freshman at the University of Washington who is studying civil engineering, was first runner-up at last year’s pageant and plans to compete for the crown again in February.
Daniela hopes more people will join the National Marrow Donor Program Registry.
“The registry only assists with 4,300 transplants a year,” Daniela pointed out. “Clearly, something needs to be done.”
For someone who spent a fulfilling career helping others in crisis, the community has rallied around Ferrell. Coworkers donated their “sick time” to ease Ferrell’s transition into retirement. Fellow officers even volunteered to completely redo his back yard while Ferrell underwent chemotherapy.
The situation has made the Ferrell family even stronger, grateful for each day they share.
“It’s a blessing,” said Elsa, Ferrell’s wife of 30 years. “He’s optimistic. From the very beginning to now, he has never given up.”
Daniela describes her father as an “optimist for all seasons.”
Especially for the holidays.
“You wonder if it’s the last Christmas with him,” Daniela said. “So I’m thankful for the time we have.
“We hope for the best. We have to.”
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Blood, donor drive
The City of Auburn is holding a blood drive next Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, located at 25 W. Main St. The bone marrow registry is joining the drive to recruit donors. The process is as simple as swabbing your cheek. On any given day, more than 6,000 men, women and children are searching the National Marrow Donor Program Registry for a life-saving donor. To learn more or to join the registry, please visit www.bethematch.org.
