Jake is brilliant! He’s in mostly honors classes and works so hard academically. He’s a sports fanatic. He played baseball, football and basketball before his diagnosis and he hopes to return to it soon, in the meantime he’s happy to cheer on his favorite team, the New England Patriots. Recently Matthew Slater sent Jake a video message and it was the highlight of Jake’s year! He also plays the guitar beautifully and is starting to write his own music. He’s passionate about everything and just really enjoys life.
Jake had a lump on his neck with no other symptoms. His lump was treated as an infection but it wasn’t going away with antibiotics. I insisted on a biopsy. We found out 2 days after his surgery that he had lymphoma.
He just completed a 9-week chemo regimen. His doctor is at Mass General in Boston, a little over 2 hours from our house. My husband is also in treatment for stage 4 colon cancer. It has been very difficult going to all appointments and they sometimes fall on the same day so I am not always able to go with my husband. It’s very difficult.
With two family members going through chemo for the past 3 months it is very tough. We have two other children that constantly worry about their dad and big brother.
I’m so proud of Jake. He was my go-to-guy helping me with his younger sister, brother, and his dad. He even can unhook my husband’s chemo machine, he learned at 11 and is so careful and does a great job. I thought when he got sick that he might fall apart. I thought because he knew what he would face it would be so hard on him from the beginning. Jake told me he wasn’t afraid. And even when his hair fell out and he gained a lot of weight from the steroids he never complained. He still tells me
Hope session by Kirsten Spencer Photography | Facebook