OCONEE COUNTY, Ga. — Jonathan Byrd likes to live on the wild side. He tends to his trains in his log cabin in Oconee County. Yoda figurines stand inside and outside of the home that contain wings of an airplane his father attempted to build. Animal skins drape over the banister, and an elk head adorns the space above Byrd's mantle.
Byrd made a living for a long time as a licensed master plumber, working primarily in commercial construction. When he's not at home, Byrd enjoys getting into the Christmas spirit.
"I've been doing Santa Claus for 18 years," Byrd said. "The important thing is putting on the red coat and go sharing, sharing that Christmas magic with folks."
Byrd frequently serves as Santa for the Athens Symphony. That Christmas magic nearly met its end two years ago when Byrd's wife made a disturbing discovery.
"My wife told me I was showing Jaundice. We went to the doctor," Byrd said. "I had pancreatic cancer, and it was blocking the duct from my gallbladder and that’s what was making me turn Jaundice. I was facing the fact that I wasn't going to do the one thing that I enjoyed most."
Pancreatic cancer was not on Santa's wish list, so the man in the red coat had to see the man in the white coat. Dr. James Griffin is a surgical oncologist at the University Cancer and Blood Center in Athens. Griffin helped guide Byrd through six months of chemotherapy and surgery.
"The problem with pancreas cancer is it is typically diagnosed late," Griffin said. "It typically doesn't cause a lot of symptoms until it's already pretty far along in its course. Mr. Byrd went through treatment without complaining. He just put one foot in front of the other until he crossed the line of this marathon we put him through."
Byrd had no family history of pancreatic cancer. But even in the middle of his struggle, he chose to give love and hope to those around him despite what looked like a hopeless diagnosis. He would dress as Santa and make visits to the staff and other patients in the medical facility.
"It's important to me to share some of the magic with those folks because they took such good care of me," Byrd said. "We're all part of this massive human race, and things happen to us. Some of it, a lot of fun. Some of it, not so much fun or good. But what's important is that you hold your head up, keep your faith and you keep moving forward."
Since undergoing surgery in April 2022, Byrd said his subsequent screenings have been cancer-free. He regularly goes back to the cancer center every three months to have bloodwork done to keep the disease at bay.