IF CATS have nine lives, then Stewart Bailey must have 10 because this man is one heck of a survivor.

In 1989, the star basketball player and referee was diagnosed with Burkitts Lymphoma, a rare form of leukemia, usually found in Africa.

"I had it in my small bowel and the doctors said it was one of the rarest kinds of leukemia I could have had," Mr Bailey said.

The Warwick man was told his case was a one-in-16 million and gave him a 5% chance of survival.

"I didn't like those odds; I was 18 and king of the world," he said.

"I only cried once and it was that day."

As rattled as he was, it only took the words of another woman, she too a cancer patient, to turn his attitude right around and give him the boost of motivation he needed - he was going to fight this. And win.

After a few years of chemotherapy, and the day before his 21st birthday, Mr Bailey had a bone marrow transplant.

"I was in isolation for 45 days," he said.

"They cut my cake and sang happy birthday to me through the door."

After the transplant, he was straight back into his Nikes and onto the court, refereeing with the National Basketball League.

"Then I started having mini heart attacks and did so for 10 years," Mr Bailey said.

And on the night Mr Bailey proposed to his wife Kim, in 2003, he had a stroke.

"I asked her to marry me, she said yes and then I went down," he said.

"She was on the phone to her mum telling her I had proposed."

The stroke was caused by the damage the chemotherapy did to his heart.

After having an Atrial Septal Defect repair on his heart at just six years old, the chemo reformed a hole in his heart.

"But I kept a positive mind and three weeks later I was out of hospital and back doing everything again," Mr Bailey said.

Just when Mr Bailey thought he had been hit with his fair share of bad luck in the health department, things took on a whole new level.

While honeymooning with his wife, Mr Bailey suffered a heart attack.

"Then in June/July of that year I went to hospital with fluid on my lungs and the hospital put in a pacemaker," he said.

"They took 17L of fluid off my lungs."

But the pacemaker was unsuccessful and Mr Bailey was transferred from the Princess Alexandra Hospital to the Prince Charles Hospital.

"The doctors said 'we can't do any more'," he said.

"They said the likelihood of getting a heart transplant was not good and they told me to tie up any affairs and get comfy."

But the prospect of giving up was no match for this brave fighter.

"We put our faith in God and I said put me on that transplant list and we'll see what happens," he said.

Twenty-seven and a half hours later, he got a heart.

At 4.30am, he was given the wake-up call he had hoped for.

"I was more worried about Kim. These sorts of things had become second nature to me," Mr Bailey said.

"The doctors rang Kim and then she fell back asleep and woke up two hours later thinking it was all a dream."

The heart transplant was a success, and 10 years on, Mr Bailey is happy, healthy and still with a smile to kill.

He is head of junior boys boarding at Scots PGC and Mr Bailey said he could not be happier.

"I just love it. It's like I have 52 surrogate sons!" he said.

Mr Bailey can still be found jogging around the basketball court, coaching the school team and the Darling Downs girls.

Having gone through more than most could ever imagine, this brave survivor will take the stage this Thursday, alongside leukemia survivors Judi Haidley and Kelsey Burt, to share his story at the Warwick Leukaemia Foundation's 30th Anniversary lunch.

Mr Bailey said he could not thank the work of the Leukaemia Foundation enough for all their support.

"It makes a hell of a difference having that home away from home at the Leukaemia Foundation units," he said.

"It was wonderful knowing I had that home to go to.

"Anything I can give back to them I will, because they gave me so much."

Eighty-six attendees have already RSVPd to the lunch, but there is room for plenty more.

Tickets are just $10 and include a hot lunch, entertainment and more than your fair dose of inspiring stories.

The lunch starts at 11am at the St Mary's Hall off Wood St.

RSVP to Doreen McGahan on 4664 8119 by tomorrow.