Jimbo Fisher had thoughts about leaving post after son's diagnosis
When his son was diagnosed with Fanconi anemia in 2011, Jimbo Fisher had thoughts about whether or not he should step down from his position as Florida State head coach.
Fisher had taken over for the retired Bobby Bowden for the 2010 season. His Seminoles had posted a 10-4 record and won the Peach Bowl. But he was now having thoughts – though not incredibly serious – about if he needed to vacate his position.
“Yeah, it did cross my mind, without a doubt,” Fisher revealed last month for the first time in an exclusive interview with the Palm Beach Post. “I didn’t know what (Ethan’s condition) required, what it meant. ‘Should I coach? ‘Should I not coach?’
“I don’t know if we ever got to that point where we thought about it seriously but it crossed my mind to think about that because I didn’t know until we found out everything.”
Ethan is now 11 and makes annual visits to the Mayo Clinic for checkups. Fanconi anemia is a very rare blood disorder that affects approximately 130,000 children every year.
The typical lifespan for those with the condition is into the mid-30s. But patients are now living into their 40s and 50s thanks to increased research. And according to the Post, 94 percent of patients who receive a bone marriow transplant live more than three years past their transplant date. In 1998, that number was 22 percent.
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A lot of funding for that research has come from the Fisher family, who wanted to help others afflicted with the disease. Jimbo and his ex-wife Candi (they divorced in December) have helped raise over $3.5 million thanks to their Kidz1stFund. From the Post:
"Once they provided the hope we wanted to go into action and it was (Candi) that had the great idea to start Kidz1st and the ambition to do it," Jimbo said. "Then it was … 'We've come to grips with it, now we're going to attack it. We're not going to let it control us. We have to deal with it but we're going to attack it like it attacks us. Go at it.'"
Said Candi: "I had to focus this energy into something positive or it's going to eat me up. I felt like it was our responsibility. No one knew what FA was."
Part of the fundraising included a game against Virginia in 2014, where a $1 million check was presented between quarters. It was a perfect opportunity to fundraise because then-Virginia coach Mike London also has a child with Fanconi anemia. According to the Kidz1stFund, the odds of two FBS coaches having children with the disease are 1 in 990 billion.
For more Florida State news, visit Warchant.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
