Tuesday 31 July 2018 16:38, UK
Australia's Jarrod Lyle has opted not to seek further treatment in his long battle against leukaemia and will receive palliative care at home, his family have announced.
Lyle, who won twice on the Nationwide Tour in 2008, was first diagnosed with leukaemia as a teenager and suffered recurrences of the disease in 2012 and 2017.
In a post on his Facebook page, his wife Briony wrote that the 36-year-old had "reached his limit" and that he and his doctors had agreed that a "positive outcome" was no longer achievable.
"My heart breaks as I type this message," the post reads. "Earlier today Jarrod made the decision to stop active treatment and begin palliative care. He has given everything that he's got to give, and his poor body cannot take anymore.
"We'll be taking him closer to home in the next couple of days so he can finally leave the hospital.
"There is simply not enough time to get this message out to everyone individually, so for some of our really close friends and family I cannot apologise enough for breaking the news in this way.
"We have done our best to 'control' the narrative surrounding Jarrod's illness and treatment, and as more and more people become involved in this final process I'm not sure how much longer this development will remain private.
"Jarrod knows he is loved, and the thousands of prayers and well wishes that have been sent his way have kept him going through some incredibly tough times. But he has reached his limit, and the docs have finally agreed that they can no longer strive for a positive outcome.
"My focus as of today is on our girls and doing whatever I can to get them through the challenges ahead. Jarrod will be closer to them very soon, and will spend as much time as he can with them.
"When it's appropriate, I will post details of a memorial service. In the meantime, we ask that you respect our privacy at this difficult time."
