All I wanted to be was a dad again. Ever since January 30, 2017, the goal was simple: just get to June 2, 2020. That was when my now 6-year old son, Jacob, would take his last dose of chemotherapy in his battle against acute lymphoblastic leukemia. And we made it!
Like most kids who have to endure that length of chemo (1,220 days to be precise), he experienced several medical issues along the way, including unscheduled hospital stays, skin issues, hypoglycemia, blood transfusions, bacterial pneumonia and much more. He did it with a smile and sense of humor, channeling his inner superhero and earning the nickname "Super Jake."
And when he rang the bell at St. Louis Children's Hospital on June 5, part of me wanted to focus all of my time on trying to return to some sense of normalcy...a time before cancer.
And last summer the plan had been to throw a large celebration for him and host our last head shaving event. But COVID-19 had other plans, but we still pushed forward with a virtual event, raising more than $60,000. That meant that our four events had raised more than $125,000 to help fund childhood cancer research.
It's been almost a year since Jake finished his treatment and so far he's done outstanding, but we never take anything for granted. He deserves that party and we're giving it to him! But it also is one more chance to bring folks together to be part of something bigger.
For the fifth and likely final time, Jake's Journey to Find a Cure will fight for those children who suffer and die from cancer, for those families that are torn apart, and for those questions that need answers.
My son was the catalyst for me to do something, but this was always about something bigger. It was about improving treatments, finding cures and saving lives.
My hope is that some of the more than 30 men, women and children who have taken part in our events will carry this sense of purpose with them for years to come, and will one day give other dad's and mom's that same chance at normalcy.
Join me today and let’s #DFYchildhoodCancers together.
