Jake is an 18 year old boy who currently is a senior at Lindbergh High School. In November of 2008 Jake noticed an odd feeling in his right arm during a winter lacrosse practice. He went to the doctor for what he thought was torn muscle. However, the tests showed that he actually had a tumor and was officially diagnosed in January 2009 with osteosarcoma, a rare & aggressive form of bone cancer. Jake spent the next year in & out of the hospital undergoing 22 rounds of chemo as well as limb salvage surgery on his upper right arm. By the end of October 2009 Jake had finished his treatment plan & entered into remission. Sadly, routine tests in June 2010 showed new growths in his right lung meaning the cancer had returned. By mid July Jake underwent a thoracotomy, which is a surgery that opens the chest cavity for the surgeon to explore & remove a piece of his lung. A few weeks later he received cyber knife radiation at SLU Hospital, began a new type of chemo at Cardinal Glennon and started an experimental drug through MD Anderson Hospital in Houston, Texas. Routine tests in January 2011 showed more growths in his lung and his right leg. Due to the continued growth, Jake's chemo was stopped & he was removed from the experimental drug program. Jake then started a new treatment plan. He had 10 days of radiation, two different chemo drugs, and a drug that was used to target his blood capillaries. The treatments were able to shrink and hold his tumors, however they took a large toll on his body. The radiation to his lungs caused Jake to have fluid build up in his right lung. He needed two lung surgeries to drain it. Shortly after that Jake had a large amount of fluid build up around his heart as a result of his chemo and needed two heart surgeries to correct that. Jake then began at home care while still trying an experimental treatment that has never been used on osteosarcoma tumors before. Jake lost his battle Jan 27, 2012 while he was surrounded by family. Jake did not let the cancer get the best of him. He was a huge sports fan. He played lacrosse & football and he helped coach youth lacrosse. He enjoyed hanging out on the sidelines for games. In the summer he volunteered at Camp Rainbow, a week long camp for children with cancer, as a counselor. He worked hard to keep caught up in school, even though he couldn't make it for weeks at a time. Jake loved flying planes and dreamed of becoming an aerospace engineer. A week and a half before he passed Jake achieved one of his dreams as he was accepted to Missouri S&T.