Luke Blagg
2004 Community Hero
At 21, Luke is an engaging young man with a quick wit and joyful nature. He’s one of five siblings and the only male in the bunch. Ask him to choose a favorite food and he’ll pick potatoes, “Because you can make them 4,376 different ways!” Ask him to name his favorite pets and he’ll laughingly say his nieces and nephews, “Because they’re just so much fun.” Luke loves the outdoors and all types of music.
Having been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and Evans Syndrome in 1999, Luke has gone through five years of intensive treatment, including chemotherapy, radiation, a stem cell transplant, then more chemo and radiation, a splenectomy, a lung biopsy… and now he’s awaiting a bone marrow transplant.
Throughout treatment, his sense of humor and faith have guided him. He jokingly admits that hospital food poses one of the biggest challenges – and that his handwriting was much better before he got sick. “Luke’s very upbeat and happy. He still has a life in spite of his disease,” says his mom, Sharon.
Luke says he feels fortunate for what he’s learned on his journey – and would offer this advice to others, “Realize how precious life is, spend more time with loved ones, have faith and try not to take life too seriously.”
