'I'm The Most Blessed Guy Alive'

Blue

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Mar 19, 2019
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“We can’t find it,” they told him.


“It,” meaning his cancer.


After just three treatments, Jones was in complete remission.


“I said, 'Are you kidding me? Are you kidding?’” Jones recalled. “They said, 'You've gotta complete everything, but you're in complete remission; we can't find it. … You have no cancer from your head to your toes.’”


Feeling cautiously optimistic, Jones immediately drove to the Colts’ facility and told Ballard and Reich the good news. They couldn’t wait to wrap their arms around him and celebrate.


For Jones, the news of his remission was anything but luck, however.


“I wanna tell you something: it’s not luck,” Jones said. “We don’t use the word luck. It’s blessings. If I call it luck that means that you have control over this, you know? ‘Oh, I’m the luckiest guy.’ No. I’m the most blessed guy alive because you get the strength, like people say, when things happen to you, you get the strength to try to handle that situation.”


Which takes us back to that second phone call Jones received on Oct. 20, just minutes after learning he had cancer.


At the time, Jones could only think about his son Tyler, who was more than 4,000 miles away in Amsterdam.


“My son is 26,” Rusty said. “I lost my dad when I was 26, and I thought everybody did. I didn't realize some people make it to 50 before they lose their parents. And that's what bothered me the most.”


So who could possibly be calling at a time like this?


Turns out it was Jim Kelly, the Hall of Fame quarterback Jones had worked with throughout his legendary 11-year career with the Bills. Kelly was among those coming into town the next day to check out the Colts-Bills game.


A few months prior, Kelly had announced that his oral cancer had returned for the third time in five years. In July, he was named the recipient of the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the 2018 ESPYS.


“Make a difference today, for someone who is fighting for their tomorrow,” Kelly said that night.


And on that October afternoon, he wanted Jones to know he was fighting right with him.


“When I found out about his cancer it pretty much crushed me,” Kelly said. “So I told him, ‘You know what? We all go through tough times in our lives, but your attitude that you have — and Rusty, you’ve always pulled me through times where, you know, I’ll have a game here, game there where I didn’t do very well — but you’re always there for me.’


“I said, ‘I never, ever gave up, and I know your attitude is to never give up, too,’” Kelly continued. “’So I’ll be praying for you, because I’ve really seen the power of prayer mean so much, and I just wanted to let you know that I’m always here for you and if you ever needed me, just call.’”


It was advice that the Jones family would revisit about two months later.


On Dec. 27, Sharon, 62, was diagnosed with leukemia.


“You can’t even make this up,” Rusty said.


Despite never experiencing any symptoms, a routine test indicated Sharon’s white blood cell count was reaching 153,000 (“It should be as low as 3,000,” she said). The official diagnosis was Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, and while it’s not curable, it is manageable with the right medication, which she’s currently working through.


So in a matter of 68 days, the Jones went from one diagnosis to another. But remaining positive has been key.


“I learned that you’ve got to have a good, positive attitude,” Sharon said. “Your brain is a scary thing; it can make you well and it can make you sick. So if you dwell on the bad, it might just be bad, you know? And I really do; I believe that for anything. When you get bad news, you feel terrible; when you get the good news, you feel like a million bucks and full of energy. So we’ve just got to look forward and start living again.”


All things considered, the Jones feel as if their move to Indianapolis came at a perfect time.


“That is one of the biggest things that we’ve had here in Indy with the Colts is they were so giving to us and praying for us and keeping in touch with us and making sure, ‘What do we need to do for you?’” Sharon said. “I mean, from Frank Reich and his wife, Linda, they’re in touch with us regularly, and Chris has been gracious, and the Irsays? The Irsays, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, we barely know these people, and they are so loving and caring and wanting to do the best they can for us.’ And that just makes you emotional, you know? They don’t even really know us and they’re so good to us.”


“You have to understand how caring this organization is for people. All three that I've been in have been that way,” Rusty said.


Now, the Jones begin the process of giving back. They’ve been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to volunteer at today’s seventh annual Chuckstrong Tailgate Gala. Inspired by Pagano’s fight with leukemia back in 2012, the event to date has raised more than $5.5 million in cancer research funding.


“I came to Indianapolis to give help,” said Rusty, who underwent his final chemotherapy treatment Feb. 21 and remains cancer free. “And I ended up getting more help than I could have ever given.”
 
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