By Robert Devine
You can plan your life to the minute for the next 30 years, but that doesn’t mean it will happen that way. Or that it will happen at all.
Just ask Jim Pearthree.
Pearthree, a solo practitioner and member of the Jacksonville Bar found out the hard way. Approximately two years ago, Pearthree found out he had melanoma. Luckily, it appeared his doctors caught the cancerous condition in time and the cancer had been eliminated.
About two months ago, however, Pearthree started experiencing headaches and a pain in his neck that felt like he had been stabbed. When the doctors checked into the problem, Pearthree learned that he had a cancerous growth in his neck that was so aggressive it broke the fourth and fifth vertebrae in his neck.
And everything else in the former Army paratrooper and aide to U.S. Congressman Charles Bennett’s life took a back seat.
Pearthree’s condition was assessed by doctors at Baptist Medical Center and Memorial Hospital. The prognosis was grave and he was advised that the cancer was likely terminal and he would likely die within six months. The best he could be offered was morphine to ease the pain.
“I guess most people would just accept their fate,” lifelong friend Chip DeMars said. “But if there was anyone who would ever want to fight on, it would be Jim.”
Consequently, Pearthree took his case to the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. Since that time, Pearthree has undergone aggressive radiation and chemotherapy. The treatment has left him extremely weak, but Pearthree still battles on. The prognosis is still disheartening, but there is some degree of hope that Pearthree and his friends hang onto.
As a result of his condition, DeMars has planned a fundraiser for Pearthree at his ranch in Hastings. The event is scheduled for June 7, 2003 and costs $100 for two people. The event will run from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and includes dinner and a chance at a 22-foot boat provided by Creek Craft boats. DeMars said he hopes to sell 200 tickets to the event, and has sold eighty so far. If you would like more information about the event, call Chip or Deb DeMars at either 219-3092 or 545-4949.
DeMars said the fundraiser is necessary to help defray Pearthree’s medical costs and his living expenses since he no longer has an income as a sole practitioner. The fundraiser will also help with the parenting costs for Pearthree’s two youngest children, Lexi (12) and Jake (7). Pearthree was pleased to find out his oldest son, Adam, has helped himself by earning a full scholarship to the University of Florida.
The raffle for the boat has an interesting format. During the course of the evening, ten raffle tickets will be drawn. The ten finalists will be announced which will allow time for the finalists to negotiate the purchase of the remaining tickets. For instance, one of the ten finalists who was planning on purchasing a boat like the one being raffled, can offer to purchase the other nine finalist’s tickets for $1,000 apiece to ensure winning the boat. Since the boat is valued at approximately $18,000, the person buying the raffle tickets can essentially purchase a new boat at a substantial discount, and the remaining finalists would pocket $500 for their time. The remaining $500 from each raffleholder will go as an additional contribution to the fundraiser.
Unfortunately, it is unlikely that Pearthree will be able to attend the event being held for his benefit.
“In treating the cancer, he is so weak that he really cannot be around a lot of people,” DeMars said. “He is in the hospital now and cannot have visitors at all. A common cold would probably kill him.”
As debilitating as the cancer has been, Pearthree has found something else. The knowledge that he has many friends that care about him and would do just about anything to have him in their lives for a little bit longer.