Sometimes life throws you a curveball.

And that’s exactly what’s happened to our good mate, Ian ‘Reggie’ Jones.

In October last year, Ian had to get some tests and scans done. By January this year, he discovered he’s got a Schwannoma in his brain, which according to Dr Google, is a tumour that grows out of nerve cells. The good news is it’s benign. The bad news it’s a really big tumour and it’s growing in a really nasty spot in his brain stem.

Ian is having complex brain surgery on Thursday, April 17 to try and remove as much as they can of the nasty little bugger. The surgery is tough and the recovery is long.

Now, we all know Ian is a stirrer and a bit of a larrikin - I lived next door to him for 21 years so can definitely vouch for that - so I’m sure he’s making jokes about MRIs proving at least he has a brain. But this is serious stuff for him and his family.

Ian and Deanne are parents to two awesome teenagers, Lenny and Ruby. (You can see them in the family photo above, along with Lenny’s girlfriend Claire.) And how expensive are teenagers, right?! Ian is the main breadwinner for the family and he’s facing a minimum of 3 months off work to recover. Deanne also has to take time off work to look after Ian during his recovery.

The Joneses are not the kind of people to ask for help. In fact, we’ve had to twist their arms just to let us set up a GoFundMe on their behalf. But this is a really, really tough time for the whole family. And they need our help.

Now I don’t know about you, but we certainly don’t have 3 months’ worth of money lying around to cover living expenses. And sick leave only goes so far. While Ian is recovering and Deanne is trying to hold everything together, bills still need to be paid and teenagers still need to eat. A lot. So we’re hoping we can raise enough money to take the pressure off the family and let them solely focus on getting Ian up and about and fishing again, instead of stressing about how they’re going to stay afloat financially.

If you grew up with Ian in Youngtown, or went to Kings Meadows High School with him, if you worked with him in the past or now at Boral, if your kids have had playdates together, or you’ve met at a sporting event, gone fishing or played golf together, now is your chance to help one of our own. Please dig deep and give what you can. Every little bit helps.

All funds raised will be deposited directly into Ian and Deanne’s account.

Posted by Karen Collum (nee Webb)