athletes

Shawn Neely, a Bahamian National swimmer on scholarship in the US surpassed his initial medical expense of $50,000 and is now seeking to raise $120,000 as he fights cancer.

With assistance from family and friends, Neely has already raised over 56,000 and was recently released from a hospital in the US after a 2-month stay after undergoing intense chemotherapy.

“My body has responded relatively well to the chemotherapy, resulting in tumor shrinkage, and I’ve managed the symptoms fairly well.”

Neely is fighting stage 4 rhabdomyosarcoma—cancer formed in the soft tissue, after an initial diagnosis of another rare cancer called Metastatic Paratesticular Rhabdomyosarcoma in July last year.

After a 4 month battle, doctors gave him a clean bill of health, after removing the mass which resulted in the loss of one of his testicles.

“However, life had other plans for me. Almost a year later, I began experiencing severe pain in my abdomen and had to be hospitalized.”

Doctors at Mofitt Cancer Center are hoping their plan of 14 rounds of chemotherapy and surgical procedure after the tumour is reduced will eradicate the cancer and he becomes free from the illness with life beyond 5 years.

“By contributing to this campaign, you will provide me the opportunity with the financial support I desperately need to continue fighting this rare cancer without the constant worry of crippling medical debt… Thank you from the depths of my heart for standing by me in this battle against cancer.”

Neely says your help and belief in me gives him strength, hope, and the determination to keep fighting so dive into a pool again.

Legendary Boxer Ray Minus Jr, who was one of the country’s best boxers, inspiring a generation of young athletes, died on Thursday. He was 58.

What to Know About Ray Minus Jr

1. He was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in 2022, a rare neurological disease affecting motor neurons. His muscles have been in decline since the diagnosis. In an interview with ZNS last year, his daughter said she believed it was spurred by his tedious fights in the boxing ring.
2. He was the former Bahamas and British Commonwealth bantamweight and lightweight champion. Queen Elizabeth recognized him as the Commonwealth Boxer of the Year in 1989.
3. Ray Minus’ arch-rival and sparring partner in the ring was Quincy Pratt. He said of Quincy in 2021: “During some of the sparring sessions, it was really competitive, so I knew when we fight, it was going to be a fight.” Minus won the first two fights in 1992 and 1999, and the third fight was given to Pratt in 2000.
4. He was trained by his father Ray Minus Snr, a legendary fighter. “My father, I always had the respect for him,” he said. My father was there for me. My father was a very good coach. He taught me some things and helped me to be creative in my fights. That is what I was able to continue with as I started to develop some of the great young fighters who came along behind me.”
5. Minus was inducted into the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture’s National Hall of Fame in November 2022.