Jordon Cooper’s writing returned to the pages of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix Monday with a column titled “The beginning of the end.”
Though he also maintains a personal blog, it’s the first time in more than three months that Cooper has written a column for Saskatoon’s largest newspaper.
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Cooper shares a deeply personal account about family, chemotherapy and facing his own mortality after a Stage 4, terminal cancer diagnosis.
“I’ve got 24 months with my kids, with my wife, to make my mark on this world,” Cooper said in an interview with Global News on Monday.
The 43-year-old was initially diagnosed with colon cancer, which spread to his liver.
Though he plans to take every measure possible to combat the disease, Cooper said he didn’t feel like he was fighting a battle.
“What I find is that the language is different from what the process is,” he said.
Prior to the interview, Cooper slept approximately 60 of the previous 72 hours due to chemotherapy.
“It hasn’t been much of a fight. I’ve been frustrated. I want to fight more and I can’t,” he said.
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The Cooper family has received an outpouring of support from the public, including comments online, personal messages and funds donated to a recently launched crowdfunding campaign.
Through it all, he’s maintained his unapologetic, dark sense of humour.
“You know, I’m brand new at dying too. We’re all rookies at this,” he said.
While he’s been away from writing, Cooper’s space in the paper has been filled by letters to the editor.
StarPhoenix editor-in chief Heather Persson confirmed Cooper’s column will have a home in the paper as long as he wants it.
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“Jordan is the kind of writer that exposes himself. He’s very brave as a writer, which makes him good,” Persson said.
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In his six years as a StarPhoenix author, Cooper has at times found himself at odds with members of Saskatoon city council.
Mayor Charlie Clark credits Cooper for engaging Saskatoon citizens in local issues.
“Not everybody on council has always agreed with everything he’s written, but we have appreciated his passion for the city and his contribution to civic debate,” Clark said.
Cooper plans to continue writing for the paper and said he already has an idea for his next column.
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