Popular radiocaster Mark Pilgrim was showered with love and support by fans on social media after he shared the latest update on his battle with stage 4 lung cancer.
Mark Pilgrim remains optimistic in advanced lung cancer battle
The former 5FM DJ and presenter sent shockwaves across social media when, on Tuesday, he posted a picture of himself laying on a hospital bed, gaunt and almost unrecognisable from the stocky personality whose voice reverberated across the airwaves on weekday mornings.
As reported by News24, Pilgrim was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer in February 2022, and since then, he has been in and out of the hospital.
Things looked positive for the revered jockey when, in December 2022, he was discharged right in time for the festive season. However, the time he got to spend with his wife Adrienne Watkins and daughters was short-lived after problems with his lungs forced him back to the emergency room.
“Would have been nice being home for Christmas. More important though is who you spend it with. Adrienne, the girls and I making the most of the room. Thank you to Lloyd and the team at [Hot102 FM] for supplying the traditional Christmas dinner and decorating the room!” he tweeted from hospital on Christmas Day.
The famous jockey was discharged again on 29 December 2022, after undergoing “seven procedures and losing almost 15kg.”
Pilgrim kept fans abreast with his day-to-day journey battling stage 4 lung cancer the entire time but concerns grew when, on Tuesday, he posted a selfie from the hospital, looking visibly weak from the constant fluid draining procedure he’s been forced to undergo since his diagnosis.
“Really skinny at the moment. Having more fluid drained from abdomen so my tummy has a bit of space for food. It’s a journey. It’s not easy. Baby steps. Still have the end goal in sight where myself, Adrienne and the girls are walking on the beach with our future golden retriever,” Pilgrim wrote.
Here are some of the reactions we picked out on social media:
