Fil-Aussie PGA champion Jason Day has announced on Instagram that his mother Adenil ‘Dening’ Day passed away last Wednesday after a five year battle with lung cancer. She was 65.
The former world No. 1 Australian golfer was in the middle of the Arnold Palmer Invitational tournament in Orlando, Florida before rushing home to Ohio to be by his dying mother’s side.
Dening Day who was born in Leyte, had migrated to Brisbane where she lived for several years before she was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2017. Dening was making progress during the special cancer treatment in Ohio, returned home to Australia and then returned to spend the last few years with her son Jason in Ohio when the cancer returned.
Dening has been living with Jason’s wife Ellie and their four children. The PGA Tour website reported Dening’s daughters Yanna and Kim and grandson Cooper travelled to the US a few weeks ago to be with her.
“Last night, my mum peacefully left us,” Day said on his Instagram account on Friday (AEDT).
“We are heartbroken but incredibly grateful for the gift we had in her living with us for the last almost two years full-time. She fought so hard until the very last breath.
“I am forever indebted to her for the sacrifices she made for me to be successful, and for the person she helped me to become. We will miss her so much.”
Dening, who was raised in poverty, is known to have pushed her son to become successful. Dening is also reported to have experienced a violent relationship with Jason Day’s father who died from stomach cancer when Jason was 12-years-old.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Jason has shared a story about observing his mother cut the grass with a knife when the lawnmower broke and having to boil water with a kettle due to the absence of a hot water system.
His mother was very proud of Jason’s achievements and would stay updated with his results in Golf tournaments, even while she was working in her customer service job with a Brisbane shipping company in 2015.
Jason Day also notes that he feared losing his mother after her diagnosis in 2017, after she was told by Australian doctors that she only had 12 months to live. He brought her to the US for special treatment which extended her life, however the cancer returned.
At the height of his career, he often publicly spoke proudly of his mother, having once stated, “She’s been my biggest supporter and she’s sacrificed so much for me, not only over the years but when I was a small child.”
Friends, fans and family have expressed their condolences on the Jason Day’s Instagram post which can be accessed from @jasondayofficial or https://www.instagram.com/jasondayofficial/
