OLDHAM COUNTY, Ky. — Jeremy Hardy enjoys working out.
The father of four has completed an Ironman and has coached cross country, goals he made to set an example for his children.
"If you set a goal right, then you accomplish the goal; you put your mind to something and go get it,” Hardy said.
But in 2022, a challenge hit Hardy he wasn't expecting.
The Oldham County man started to notice shock waves and atrophied muscles in his arms. MRIs showed a tumor in his spinal cord.
A doctor told him he could have three years to live if the tumor was cancerous. If it was benign, the surgery would cause him to be paralyzed.
“We are just such an active family," said Danielle Hardy, Jeremy's wife. "We have four kids, and we just go and do. And I feel like we had this zest for life, and it was just devastating."
"It was like, you're on autopilot. It's like the world just kind of fell out ... and we were just so shaken and taken aback by that news."
Jeremy works in medical sales, so he used his network to gather multiple opinions. He was connected with Nicholas Bambakidis and his team at University Hospitals Neurological Institute in Cleveland.
He would need cervical spinal cord surgery, operating on the most delicate part of the spinal cord due to its proximity to the brain.
“After the surgery, it's also a long road ahead," said Mohit Patel, who helped operate on Jeremy. "Given that we are operating within the spinal cord, most patients report some kind of sensation related issues after surgery because we are intentionally doing surgery within the cord."
Patel said Jeremy’s initiative to seek other medical opinions, along with his work ethic and support system, helped allow him to reach almost 100% recovery. He said he encourages patients with spinal cord tumors to get an opinion from a surgeon operating at a hospital with experience with spinal cord surgeries.
Now, Jeremy walks around daily with a tattoo, reminding him of his resilience and giving him an opportunity to share his story.
"I wanted to be able to just look at it," Jeremy said. "I also wanted it to elevate conversation from folks ... and then I can tell them my story. That's very important."
When he trained for the Ironman, he wanted to teach his children a lesson. But after fighting for the life he once had, Jeremy said he wants to be a testament to preserving and finding the appropriate medical treatment for his community.
“I think the perspective that it's given me, it’s made me a better person," he said. "I'm not perfect, but I try to have (the) mindset every day that I'm here, I've been taken care of and let me take care of other people on this other side of this journey that I've had.”
Jeremy and Danielle Hardy said thanks to the successful surgery, they hope to watch their children graduate from college and walk them down the aisle on their wedding day.