Basketball writer, Jonathan Tjarks of the Ringer in Hospice battling cancer (update: Tjarks has sadly passed away)

Paradise · Post #1 » by **Paradise** » Mon Sep 5, 2022 7:27 pm

This is extremely sad to hear.

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hoosierdaddy34 · Post #2 » by **hoosierdaddy34** » Mon Sep 5, 2022 7:33 pm

Very sad story

CharityStripe34 · Post #3 » by **CharityStripe34** » Mon Sep 5, 2022 7:34 pm

Even worse that they have to put up a Go Fund Me.

azcatz11 · Post #4 » by **azcatz11** » Mon Sep 5, 2022 7:38 pm

CharityStripe34 wrote:Even worse that they have to put up a Go Fund Me.

Not trying to derail this but I would think BS would be able to foot that bill...he's been with The Ringer awhile and they're a pretty small organization. That's like chump change to him

Pelon chingon · Post #5 » by **Pelon chingon** » Mon Sep 5, 2022 7:41 pm

F cancer!

Noctilux · Post #6 » by **Noctilux** » Mon Sep 5, 2022 7:43 pm

Pelon chingon wrote:F cancer!

And our health care!

Post #7 » by **cupcakesnake** » Mon Sep 5, 2022 7:56 pm

This has been going on for a while. He's been in and out at the Ringer for the past few years.

Tjarks is a really good basketball writer. I followed his articles when they were here at realgm and followed that work to the Ringer. I'd say he was smarter than 90% of bball writers out there.

It's pretty rough reading about his suffering and to have that information coming from his wife. It wasn't that long ago that his fans listened to him give a goodbye on his Ringer podcast with J. Kyle Mann. He knew at that point it wasn't going to get much better for him and the prognosis was basically set. I would have been happy to keep reading and listening to him for the rest of his career.

I know he wont read this, but it's the closest thing I have to a place to thank him for all his hard work. He'll definitely be remembered by everyone who followed him. I wish him as little suffering as possible with the time he has left, and hope he has a few quality moments left with his family.

DowJones · Post #8 » by **DowJones** » Mon Sep 5, 2022 8:20 pm

azcatz11 wrote:
CharityStripe34 wrote:Even worse that they have to put up a Go Fund Me.

Not trying to derail this but I would think BS would be able to foot that bill...he's been with The Ringer awhile and they're a pretty small organization. That's like chump change to him

I don't know what Bill and the Ringer have and haven't done. Medical bills can be awful and who knows what the insurance does and doesn't cover. The family said they are fine, right now, financially but don't forget they have a 1 year old daughter.

This was truly awful of hear. It really should be a wakeup call to all of us to live life to the fullest now. Nothing is promised moving forward.

UcanUwill · Post #9 » by **UcanUwill** » Mon Sep 5, 2022 8:26 pm

Terrible for his family, if I could take his cancer from him, I really would, as a person with strong depression, to me, fighting for your life is such an alien concept, I fighting for opposite. I would really give him my years, that person has young child and has lots of things to look forward to. Sadly things aren't looking good.

MotownMadness · Post #10 » by **MotownMadness** » Mon Sep 5, 2022 8:33 pm

Cancer has taken away some close loved ones so i know that pain his family is dealing with.

Cancer really does friggin suck. What kind of cancer does he have?

MotownMadness · Post #11 » by **MotownMadness** » Mon Sep 5, 2022 8:36 pm

Oh wow hes been battling stage 4 since 2021. Thats unfortunately a death sentence eventually once its moved all around in your blood like that

BoogieTime · Post #12 » by **BoogieTime** » Mon Sep 5, 2022 8:43 pm

wow man, he was just giving his SL takes last month... life is not to be taken for granted

oikosnomos · Post #13 » by **oikosnomos** » Mon Sep 5, 2022 8:44 pm

Hospice means they are done battling, now just spending the time they have left together. Was reading his wife's blog. It's on his spine and the doctors have done all they can in terms of surgery and treatment. They have faith in Jesus, so even if you don't think much of that, they are at least at peace with it the outcome and seem to just want to spend whatever time they have enjoying each other.

Jonathan is 33 and she is 34 and they have a son, so that is particularly difficult to think they had all these years to look forward to and now it's likely not going to happen. We are destined to die, but most of assume that will come when we are old and spent.

Found this article he wrote about it last year.

https://www.theringer.com/2021/5/20/22444532/long-night-of-the-soul

Saint_Killa · Post #14 » by **Saint_Killa** » Mon Sep 5, 2022 9:03 pm

oikosnomos wrote:Hospice means they are done battling, now just spending the time they have left together. Was reading his wife's blog. It's on his spine and the doctors have done all they can in terms of surgery and treatment. They have faith in Jesus, so even if you don't think much of that, they are at least at peace with it the outcome and seem to just want to spend whatever time they have enjoying each other.

Jonathan is 33 and she is 34 and they have a son, so that is particularly difficult to think they had all these years to look forward to and now it's likely not going to happen. We are destined to die, but most of assume that will come when we are old and spent.

Found this article he wrote about it last year.

https://www.theringer.com/2021/5/20/22444532/long-night-of-the-soul

Yeah he also wrote an article about fatherhood this year:

https://www.theringer.com/2022/3/3/22956353/fatherhood-cancer-jonathan-tjarks

Such a sad thing to go through..

oikosnomos · Post #15 » by **oikosnomos** » Mon Sep 5, 2022 9:06 pm

Saint_Killa wrote:Yeah he also wrote an article about fatherhood this year:

https://www.theringer.com/2022/3/3/22956353/fatherhood-cancer-jonathan-tjarks

Such a sad thing to go through..

Reading it now. Hard to read it, but people who know they are going to die sometime have amazing clarity and can distill things we all experience into something powerful.

Roy T · Post #16 » by **Roy T** » Mon Sep 5, 2022 9:12 pm

Sending thoughts and prayers.

Big J · Post #17 » by **Big J** » Mon Sep 5, 2022 9:12 pm

DowJones wrote:
azcatz11 wrote:
CharityStripe34 wrote:Even worse that they have to put up a Go Fund Me.

Not trying to derail this but I would think BS would be able to foot that bill...he's been with The Ringer awhile and they're a pretty small organization. That's like chump change to him

I don't know what Bill and the Ringer have and haven't done. Medical bills can be awful and who knows what the insurance does and doesn't cover. The family said they are fine, right now, financially but don't forget they have a 1 year old daughter.

This was truly awful of hear. It really should be a wakeup call to all of us to live life to the fullest now. Nothing is promised moving forward.

Simmons is likely a billionaire at this point with the Ringer being bought out by Spotify. He needs to step up and take care of that family for life. The fact that they have to use a Go Fund Me is pretty sad.

adubmac · Post #18 » by **adubmac** » Mon Sep 5, 2022 9:16 pm

UcanUwill wrote:Terrible for his family, if I could take his cancer from him, I really would, as a person with strong depression, to me, fighting for your life is such an alien concept, I fighting for opposite. I would really give him my years, that person has young child and has lots of things to look forward to. Sadly things aren't looking good.

While the notion is commendable, I just want you to know that things can get better. What seems like the end of the world now, can be meaningless in a few months. Don't give up and find someone to talk to if you really feel like there is nothing to live for.

JujitsuFlip · Post #19 » by **JujitsuFlip** » Mon Sep 5, 2022 9:17 pm

33 years old, wow. That's so young, has a wife and kids too, cancer sucks.

MN7725 · Post #20 » by **MN7725** » Mon Sep 5, 2022 11:52 pm

Saint_Killa wrote:
oikosnomos wrote:Hospice means they are done battling, now just spending the time they have left together. Was reading his wife's blog. It's on his spine and the doctors have done all they can in terms of surgery and treatment. They have faith in Jesus, so even if you don't think much of that, they are at least at peace with it the outcome and seem to just want to spend whatever time they have enjoying each other.

Jonathan is 33 and she is 34 and they have a son, so that is particularly difficult to think they had all these years to look forward to and now it's likely not going to happen. We are destined to die, but most of assume that will come when we are old and spent.

Found this article he wrote about it last year.

https://www.theringer.com/2021/5/20/22444532/long-night-of-the-soul

Yeah he also wrote an article about fatherhood this year:

https://www.theringer.com/2022/3/3/22956353/fatherhood-cancer-jonathan-tjarks

Such a sad thing to go through..

that fatherhood article stuck with me for weeks afterward

I liked him a lot on podcasts too, very pithy and didn't do the usual caveats/qualifiers in his takes, especially on prospects