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 5-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.
During the past three years, I've been hosting my own St. Baldrick's annual head shaving event, recruiting friends, family members and colleagues to raise money to help fund childhood cancer research. In those three years, we had managed to raise more than $66,000, significantly growing each year.
But with his treatment coming to an end, part of me wanted to retire from the fundraising world. I couldn't though. I had seen too much. Too many children suffer and die. Too many families be torn apart. Too many questions and too few of answers.
So Jake's Journey to Find a Cure continues on with a renewed sense of purpose. Jake was the catalyst for me do something, but this was always about something bigger. It was about improving treatments, finding cures and saving lives.
And that's why it was so touching to find that a number of my colleagues wanted to join the St. Baldrick's cause and not only raise funds for childhood cancer research, but to help educate our fellow colleagues about this cause and to ask them to be a part of the fight too. Jake's Journey is now a part of something that can really make a difference in the lives of millions around the globe.
I can still concentrate on being a dad. My son and daughter deserve a father who is focused on showing them the love and support they so richly deserve, especially since we've now closed the chapter on Jake's treatment. But I want to give other dad's that same chance.
Join me today and let’s #DFYchildhoodCancers together.
Jeff Neu (Super Jake's Dad)
