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Former principal ‘Beating the Odds’ after fighting cancer 4 times

Posted at 7:59 AM, Jul 30, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-01 12:23:15-04

HUDSONVILLE, Mich. -- He's a loving father, husband and grandfather, retired for a career dedicated to our youth. But after decades of giving, Jack Postma found himself in the fight of his life.

For 30 years, Postma was principal at Unity Christian High School in Hudsonville. His faith a staple in that role, and also in what was to come.

He would eventually retire in 2012, after being diagnosed with prostate cancer a few years earlier. Little did he know, his cancer journey was just beginning.

Jack was later diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. He underwent another two and half years of chemotherapy.

He would later find out there was a mass in his brain. That was Postma's third cancer diagnoses.

Postma worked to become well enough to get a stem cell transplant .

About four years after that, more trouble. He was diagnosed with myelodysplasia, that was his fourth cancer, caused by all the chemotherapy he underwent. Doctors were surprised to see him back, but Jack never lost his fighting spirit.

He just underwent another bone marrow transplant in January.

"When people would stop and ask, 'how are you doing?' I would say the doctors are working to give me more time and they would pause and say, that's all any of us can hope for," Postma said.

"More time," -- it's a phrase that has been a constant in Postma's journey.