All that Bobby Jenks wants to do is celebrate a big milestone with some former teammates.
But there’s a lot standing in the way of the former Chicago White Sox closer and his goal.
After all, Jenks is battling terminal cancer. The two-time all-star and his family opened up about his fight with the disease during a recent interview with The Athletic that also touched on other personal tragedies they’ve endured.
Earlier this year, Jenks was diagnosed with stage 4 adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer that is terminal. While he is committed to fighting the disease until the end – with some hope of a return to a somewhat normal life – Jenks recognizes his time may be short.
“I’ve come to the realization that it could be six months or it could be three years,” he told the outlet. “But I’m ready. And however long it takes, I’m going to be here fighting it.
“I guarantee you, everybody thinks about death on a daily basis. It’s just that people don’t usually have an actual day on theirs.”
As a rookie, the former White Sox reliever was a huge part of Chicago’s 2005 World Series championship – the team’s first in 88 years – delivering the final pitch to beat the Houston Astros.
Now Jenks is planning on making it – at least – to the upcoming 20-year-anniversary celebration.
“The doctor looked blankly at him,” Antonio Da Cunha, Jenks’ father-in-law, told The Athletic. “He told them, ‘Listen, whether you like it or not, I’m going. So can you organize that all my treatments are done?’”
Jenks and his family have been through a lot in 2025. In January, their California home and all of its contents – including keepsakes from his playing days — were destroyed in the Palisades wildfires.
Then came his heartbreaking cancer diagnosis and the expenses that came with treatment.
According to the outlet, Jenks’ wife, Eleni Tzitzivacos, said that the former pitcher has had to sign baseballs to pay for medical treatments. She also said that the family had dropped its medical insurance a few years ago because it was expensive and they didn’t have health concerns at the time.
As they have relocated to Portugal, moving overseas only has complicated efforts to have his treatments covered.
While Jenks said that he has asked for help from the Baseball Assistance Team, a resource for ex-players, fellow ex-MLBer Darren Dreifort has started a GoFundMe that has raised over $11,000.
Jenks also said that he didn’t ask his doctors how much time he might have left, something he feels gives control back to his life as opposed to counting down toward the end.
“I’ve come to the realization that it could be six months or it could be three years,” he said. “But I’m ready. And however long it takes, I’m going to be here fighting it.”