Aid Jacob's Fight Against Rare Cancer

UPDATE (01/26/25)

Erica and Jacob will be heading to Rochester, MN to the Mayo Clinic early Tuesday morning and will be there through Friday night. While there, he will be having a multitude of diagnostic testing done including two MRIs, a CT scan, a PET scan and lab work. They will also be meeting with multiple physicians who have treated and are actively involved in researching his type of cancer. They will be meeting with a surgical oncologist, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sarcoma, a general oncologist, a radiation oncologist, and likely more specialists.

They are anxious to finally get more information about his diagnosis and come up with a plan of attack. They are also scared of what they may hear.

I will provide an update when I have more to share. In the meantime, please pray for Jacob and Erica that they have safe travels to and from Minnesota. Pray for their whole family as they come together to focus on Jacob's care and most of all for Jacob.

--Micki

(12/09/2024) In June of this year, my nephew Jacob Robertson, the 22 year old son of my sister Erica and her husband Robbie Robertson, noticed a small lump in the upper part of his leg. At the time, doctors thought it was a simple lipoma and told him to keep an eye on it.

By October of this year, the lump had grown significantly and started causing pain and shooting sensations with numbness and tingling down his leg. He returned to the doctor and a biopsy was scheduled with Dr. Lewis, Chief, Division of Surgical Oncology at UT Medical Center in Knoxville, TN.

On November 18th he received the results of his biopsy (inconclusive but suspicious). A date was set for surgery to remove the mass the day after Thanksgiving on Friday, November 29th at UT Medical Center in Knoxville, TN.

On Friday of this last week, December 6th, he learned that the tumor was malignant. Jacob was diagnosed with a Stage 2 Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor (MPNST). It's not clear what causes most malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. These tumors are very rare, with less than 200 diagnosed annually in the U.S.

Surgery is the usual treatment for this type of tumor, however, due to the location, not all of it was able to be removed during this initial surgery. Jacob will possibly have additional surgeries to remove as much of the remaining tumor tissue as possible, as well as radiation.

Jacob is a wonderfully gifted and kind human being. Throughout his life, he has brought so much joy to everyone who knows him. As a child and as a young adult he has always been curious (and a bit cantankerous), striving to do his very best at everything he pursues. He achieved a black belt in karate at a young age, is a fantastic soccer player and is a math whiz, serving in the illustrious position as our family's human calculator.

In the last several years, Jacob has developed a love of cooking and creating unique culinary experiences, working his way up through the kitchen to sous chef at Diamond Jack in Maryville, TN. Sadly, Diamond Jack recently closed as the owners decided to pursue a different direction in life. Since then, Jacob had been working as seasonal help with UPS while looking for permanent opportunities.

With the nature of his recent diagnosis, Jacob will be unable to work for the foreseeable future, depending on the prognosis and treatment plan. He will know more this coming week once he meets with the team at UT Medical Center to begin treatment.

I have created this Go Fund Me account to help Jacob to remove some of the worry and stress from his life so that he can focus on getting better. Funds raised will help defray the cost of his medical bills/treatments and allow him to continue to meet his current financial obligations until he is able to rejoin the workforce.

Any amount that you can contribute would be greatly appreciated, as would including him in your prayers. We will continue to be here to support Jacob emotionally and financially through this journey, and I will provide updates as I am able. We love him so much and for those of you that know and love Jacob as well, thank you for your support!

--Micki