COTE COMEBACK 2.0

This Is Jonathan Cote after having a 4cm Madulablastoma brain tumor removed in June 2016. After six 6 weeks of radiation and a ton of hard work he was given a clean bill of health to return to college in Colorado in May 2017. Shortly after returning to school in August 2017 he was complaining about pain in his back and it was just considered a sports injury. By November things were getting worse so he came home to have it checked. The news was not good. Some of the cancer cells had returned and he started radiation immediately. And is now doing chemotherapy.

His family has no extended health benefits and some of the prescription drugs, supplements and treatments are not covered. . They need support and we would apprecaite any support you can provide to help Jonathan go through his treatment. 
SEE BELOW FOR MORE INDEPTH STORY


You may have heard of him.  Jonathan Cote isn't much different than most other 21 year olds who love to play ball.  Ever since he was a young boy, Jonathan dreamed of playing baseball, 'making the bigs", going to "the show", having the rich life all of us dream of.  No one knows exactly what the future holds, if and when your chance to shine might come along, or take a scary turn for the worse.  Life threw Jonathan an unexpected curve ball in May 2014, while playing ball in the British Columbia Premier Baseball League in Canada.   

At first, Jonathan experienced symptoms of dizziness.  These symptoms worsened after he graduated from Sands Secondary (Delta BC) and went on a scholarship to Colorado Mesa University, one of the top baseball programs in the country.  The symptoms weren't there all the time, but continued to take a toll on him. 

The next year Jonathan transferred to junior college where he felt he would play more.  He did.  Unfortunately, his symptoms also showed up more frequently, and with greater intensity.  When Jonathan went home in May of 2016, careful attention was paid to see if things would settle down  for him, or if they would have to go to the hospital and get to the bottom of it.  June 10 saw him going to Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, where they removed a 4cm x 4cm malignant medulloblastoma tumor from his head.  The Cote family learned Jonathan’s tumour was very rare — one of six ever diagnosed in B.C., and that without further treatment there was at least a 50 percent chance it could return in the brain or spinal cord within 30 months.  About a month later, Jonathan and his family went to the Fraser Valley Cancer Clinic at Surrey Memorial Hospital.  Jonathan had 6 weeks of radiation.

 By March 2017, he was given a 'clear of cancer'.  Once permitted, Jonathan started training extremely hard again, so he could go back to school and his love and dream of playing baseball.  He went back to Otero Junior College in LaJunta, Colorado .  Almost immediately he thought he experienced a back or hamstring injury.  Visits to physio, chiro, massage, and even a doctor there, all seemed to agree...it was a hamstring injury.  But then, the numbness and tingliness in his legs and feet started, and became so bad, it was also affecting his genital area.  His Mom decided to bring him home November 8, just before Remembrance Day, and Jonathan received an MRI (magentic resonance imaging) on his lower back, which revealed several small tumours on his spinal cord near his tail bone.  Radiation treatment was started immediately on November 12. Another MRI of his brain and spinal cord found quite a few more tumours, all along his spinal cord, and now two small ones in the brain.  The doctors are going to give radiation to a second spot on Jonathan's back.  They have not even talked about chemo yet.   Understandably, this news has really crushed their spirits.

Jonathan played in the PBL for the North Delta Blue Jays in 2014 and was the strike out leader for the entire league.  Besides also being a hard-throwing left-handed pitcher, he's a tough kid, always one to step up to the plate, face things head on, and not give up.  We're asking for your help, to support Jonathan in his cancer treatment, and to get him back on the field, back in the game as soon as possible.

Although Jonathan's parents, Candice and Rob, have been separated since Jonathan was quite young, both parents have been by his side.  His mom is doing the very best she can, but is also disabled.  Every donation will offset the cost of treatments, supplements, medications that are required, as the family doesn't have extended medical (health or dental).  They recieve very little in the way of coverage/support.   Jonathan is also hoping to find a way to get his car and belongs home from school.  Hopefully enough support is rallied, so they also don't have to sell their home.

Please help lift them up, by donating and sharing Jonathan Cote's story with your friends and family.  Every day and every dollar holds the possibility of a miracle!  Thank you.



           "It's hard to beat a person who never gives up"
                                           - Babe Ruth -



Why am I involved?  I met Candice at a baseball game recently and was deeply moved by her story as my family has been involved with baseball / fastball almost our entire lives.  I can't imagine what they're going through, and would really hate to see them lose their home, after all that's happened.  I know how scared I'd be if this was my daughter or son.  Though they had started a GoFundMe page before, and were very grateful for the donations received to date, the family is still in desperate need of help.  Restarting a GoFundMe page for Jonathan was the least I could do.  - Sandi Leroux