Help Jude Live His Best Life While Battling Bone Cancer

Let me introduce you to my sunshine, my son, my first born child - Jude.

He is a kind hearted, empathetic, eldest child of four. A 13 year old ray of sunshine who had learned that his ongoing knee pain experienced over summer was actually a tumor on September 30th, 2024.

After that day, he had to resign from his position on his football team, and was unable to attend school or any activities associated with his peers or friends due to his condition. He had become bound to crutches before no longer being able to walk due to the excruciating bone pain.

On October 17th, he had a biopsy conducted to determine if we are truly dealing with osteosarcoma as well as being admitted into Doernbechers Children’s Hospital to begin chemotherapy treatment under the care of Dr. Katrina Winsnes. In the weeks to come, Jude would endure the most intensive chemotherapy as we learned he indeed does have Osteosarcoma, and it was not only in his left knee, but found to be in his right hip, his shoulder, rib and pelvis.

January 9th, 2025, Jude had his left knee tumor removed as it had grown six times the size of what it had been in October. Alongside removing his tumor required a full knee replacement with a small fraction of his femur bone removed to hope that chemotherapy would be able to stop the growth of the other tumors in his body.

Our hearts were broken to have learned after the knee replacement surgery that Jude now has millimeter trace spots of what we can assume is osteosarcoma in his lungs.

February 4th, Jude was discharged from chemotherapy for the last time. Dr. Winsnes made it very clear that the cancer that Jude has is incurable and that we can force him to continue to seek chemotherapy, only to buy him more time while being in the hospital. Or we can focus on keeping Jude as comfortable as possible so he can focus on living the life he can comfortably live, for as long as we get to have him here with us. Dr. Winsnes predicted that Jude may only have 6 months or so with the discontinuation of chemotherapy treatment. In between surgery, MRI’s, clinic visits, Jude has had radiation conducted to see if the pain can subside. We learned that radiation only buys comfort for a few weeks before the screaming pain within his body returns.

Jude has had to accept a very grim and sad fate that he had been given. He has expressed how disappointed he is to not be able to live an adult life. To be able to drive, go to school, work, hang out with friends or have a family of his own. He truly is a very smart man, and realizes he has been blessed with so much, however will be receiving so little with the condition he suffers from.

I am asking for communal support in being able to help Jude to be able to reach and grasp for anything he can want or desire with the life expectancy he has been given. I know life isn’t about material things, luxury or this false sense of glamor by any means. But I only feel that it is fair to ask for help to see that my son can reach for the stars if that is something he wants to do.

Remaining funds will be designated for funeral and burial costs that we ever so sadly have to think about sooner than anyone had ever thought.

I appreciate you learning of Jude’s story. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for caring or being able to contribute to his fund. Please reach out to make arrangements for Jude outside of GoFundMe if this isn't something you'd like to participate in.