Yesterday, news came out that former MLB Pitcher and current Windy City Thunderbolts (Frontier League) manager, Bobby Jenks, has been battling stage 4 adenocarcinoma, which is a type of stomach cancer.
We here at Indy Ball Island send all our healing thoughts and prayers to Bobby as he continues his fight. We hope that his goal of being back in the dugout is able to be fulfilled this season.
Although Bobby kept his diagosis quiet for awhile, he recently did a 20 minute interview with MLB.com to “get the news out.”
During a 20-minute interview with MLB.com Saturday morning from his hospital bed in Portugal — the family moved there to be closer to his wife’s family — Jenks detailed these brutally tough last five months. He was stunned to hear the word “cancer,” but in an honest turn true to his nature as a player, was not completely surprised despite his always strong 275-pound stature.
“You know, the shit I was doing in my 20s and early 30s, no normal person would have survived,” said Jenks, mincing no words as is his custom. “So, in one way, I’m grateful to be alive. In another way, I’m not surprised this happened. It goes to show you have to take care of yourself from top to bottom with nutrition and exercise and having a good daily plan.”
Now, he is focusing on being as healthy as he can be to survive.
Jenks, now a married father of six, has his two younger children (11 and 5) living with him and his wife in Sintra, Portugal. He spoke Saturday of previously changing his life for the better, cutting out alcohol and drugs, and eating healthier. He recently completed his first season as manager for the Windy City Thunderbolts, an independent professional baseball squad located in Crestwood, Illinois, a southern suburb located 27 miles outside of Chicago.
After getting over the shock from the diagnosis, Jenks quickly changed his focus toward wellness.
“Now it’s time to do what I got to do to get myself better and get myself more time, however you want to look at it,” Jenks said. “I’ll tell you one thing: I’m not going to die here in Portugal.
He also revealed in the interview that he lost everything in the recent fires in California.
Compounding matters is the recent loss of everything in the Palisades fire, including all of Jenks’ personal baseball memorabilia. The lone item remaining is his World Series ring, which he had with him while managing Windy City.
“I’ve got one suitcase left to my name,” Jenks said. “It’s all gone. Everything else I’ve ever done. I have everything, first to first. All those things are irreplaceable.”
Jenks did tell MLB.com that he has set a goal to come back and manage the Windy City Thunderbolts in 2025.
We wish him nothing but the best on his journey and look forward to seeing him manage once again.
The complete interview can be found HERE on mlb.com
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