Tributes on social media have started to pour in for Jimmy Fowkes ’14, a religious studies major who has fought brain cancer since middle school. After his diagnosis, Fowkes raised more than $230,000 for cancer charity Livestrong. He was 21.
In an interview with The Daily last February, Fowkes recalled being inspired by reading “It’s Not About The Bike,” the book by Lance Armstrong, former professional cyclist and cancer survivor. In 2006, Fowkes signed up for Livestrong’s main fundraising event, the Livestrong Challenge, the start of a long and inspiring fight against his cancer.
RIP Jimmy Fowkes. You have forever touched my life as well as millions others. I will miss you. #jimmystrong
— Lance Armstrong (@lancearmstrong) February 16, 2014
Armstrong himself expressed his condolences on Twitter, writing a message tagged #jimmystrong. Armstrong and the team at Livestrong would go on to become a big source of support for Fowkes.
“Going into it, I think I was just kind of alone and didn’t know anyone else with cancer,” Fowkes said in 2013. “[Livestrong] was really the first time I could meet other cancer survivors and talk about their experiences.”
When his brain cancer returned for a fourth time in 2011, he remained a full-time student at Stanford. He is the only four-time winner of the National Collegiate Cancer Foundation scholarship.