Jackson Lives!
Donation protected
This GoFundMe has been created to support Jackson Hunter and his family as they continue to walk the unknown journey of Jackson's treatment and healing from Acute Lymphoid Leukemia (ALL). The intention is to raise funds to cover expenses including costs associated with relocating (including travel expenses), housing, food, clothing, gas, and other costs so that Jackson’s family can focus on what's really important: the love and care of Jackson.
With your support, we can create a peaceful environment in which Jackson can rest and heal, and Gina and Eric (Jackson’s parents) can find peace of mind. Please find it within your heart to give to this beautiful family.
And this is Jackson’s story:
Not long ago, Jackson was a typical, playful, adventurous 5-year-old boy, doing typical 5-year-old boy things: playing soccer, getting muddy, going camping, playing video games.
On August 4, 2015, Jackson was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoid Leukemia (ALL). Since then, life as Jackson and his family knew it, ceased to exist.
The day following the diagnosis, Jackson began to receive chemotherapy treatments. He initially spent 11 days in the hospital and his oncologist believed that Jackson would respond well. 29 days after treatment began, doctors took a biopsy of Jackson's bone marrow to assess how his body was responding. Unfortunately, it came back positive for leukemia, and Jackson's status was changed from standard risk to very high risk. Going forward, Jackson would need much stronger chemotherapy than the standard protocol, and he would need it over a longer period of time.
From August 2015 to May 2016 Jackson spent over 110 days in the hospital. He endured countless chemotherapy treatments given orally and intravenously through either the port in his chest or directly into his spine. Jackson lost weight, all of his hair fell out, he developed a limp, he got mouth sores, he was constantly nauseous and exhausted, and he was unable to go to school. Somehow, he managed to smile through all of it, bringing joy to all of the nurses and doctors who treated him.
Finally, at the end of May 2016, Jackson completed Front Line chemo, and they all thought the hardest times were behind him. The plan and intention was that for the next 32 months Jackson would be in long term maintenance, which would consist of daily oral chemo, monthly steroids, monthly IV chemotherapy, and spinal chemotherapy every 1-3 months. Things would begin to be a little more normal. Jackson would even be able to attend school!
Most of the summer was a breeze, and Jackson began 1st grade in August 2016. He was excited to make friends and learn. Chemotherapy suppresses the immune system, so it wasn't long before Jackson caught a cold. He missed a lot of school the first month, and on September 1st of 2016, he became sick once more. He was admitted to the hospital for a relatively short stay, and everyone was hopeful that this would be his last in-patient hospital stay for a while.
On September 26th, 2016, Jackson went to the hospital for a routine treatment when his oncologist decided to look at Jackson's blood. What he saw would change everything. The doctor informed Jackson's parents that they would not be going home, and they scheduled a bone marrow aspiration for the following day. On September 28, 2016, the results came back. His bone marrow was showing 26% leukemia cells. After only 4 months in maintenance, Jackson's cancer had returned. Jackson would now need a bone marrow transplant. They began re-induction therapy right away, consisting of steroid treatment and harsh chemotherapy, with the hopes that Jackson would go back into remission. Samples of his blood were sent to different bone marrow registries hoping to find a match. He was inpatient for 35 days, his longest inpatient stay since being diagnosed. At the time of his discharge, his body had not recuperated enough to check his bone marrow to see if the chemotherapy had been successful, but the doctors were eventually able to check about a week after his discharge. The doctors were hopeful, and they scheduled an appointment to go over the results the following week. The very next day Jackson's oncologist called with the results, and they were not good. Jackson had 35% leukemia in his bone marrow, 9% more than before administering the intensive chemotherapy. The chemo had not worked. In light of this, the bone marrow transplant was no longer an option at this point. The doctors now wanted to look into a trial called (CAR) T-Cell therapy, which is not yet approved by the FDA. There were/are several challenges with this option, in that the T-cells would take several months to manufacture, getting insurance approval would be a challenge, and the family will have to travel out of state, possibly across country.
In November 2016, Jackson had a PICC line placed and T-Cells were extracted from his body. He also began an immunotherapy drug. At that time, Jackson was unable to get a bone marrow transplant, as his bone marrow wans't able to get to 0% leukemia. It was time to proceed with the (CAR) T-Cell Therapy.
Jackson was approved for the T-Cell Therapy which was to be administered at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The Hunter family has temporarily relocated to Philadelphia, where Jackson has been given the T-Cell Therapy in March, 2017. Jackson has since faced numerous challenges.
Jackson's family does not know how long he will be in the hospital. They are living moment-by-moment, as they continue to face many uncertainties. The only thing they know for sure is that they will do anything to ensure that Jackson lives.
As one could understand, due to the circumstances, neither Eric or Gina are currently working. Caring for a child with cancer is a full time job in itself, and they want to be with Jackson every moment they possibly can. Though the medical treatment and hotel stay has been covered by Medicaid, there are many other financial responsibilities that rest on Eric and Gina. Additionally, they are expecting their second child in May, which comes with its own costs. We hope that you find it in your heart to donate to this beautiful family that they may have one less thing to worry about.
Thank you for taking the time to read Jackson's story. For a closer account and updates on Jackson and his family, please visit the Facebook page "Action 4 Jackson."
In Gratitude,
Jackson’s family
#ACTION4JACKSON
www.action4jackson.com
With your support, we can create a peaceful environment in which Jackson can rest and heal, and Gina and Eric (Jackson’s parents) can find peace of mind. Please find it within your heart to give to this beautiful family.
And this is Jackson’s story:
Not long ago, Jackson was a typical, playful, adventurous 5-year-old boy, doing typical 5-year-old boy things: playing soccer, getting muddy, going camping, playing video games.
On August 4, 2015, Jackson was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoid Leukemia (ALL). Since then, life as Jackson and his family knew it, ceased to exist.
The day following the diagnosis, Jackson began to receive chemotherapy treatments. He initially spent 11 days in the hospital and his oncologist believed that Jackson would respond well. 29 days after treatment began, doctors took a biopsy of Jackson's bone marrow to assess how his body was responding. Unfortunately, it came back positive for leukemia, and Jackson's status was changed from standard risk to very high risk. Going forward, Jackson would need much stronger chemotherapy than the standard protocol, and he would need it over a longer period of time.
From August 2015 to May 2016 Jackson spent over 110 days in the hospital. He endured countless chemotherapy treatments given orally and intravenously through either the port in his chest or directly into his spine. Jackson lost weight, all of his hair fell out, he developed a limp, he got mouth sores, he was constantly nauseous and exhausted, and he was unable to go to school. Somehow, he managed to smile through all of it, bringing joy to all of the nurses and doctors who treated him.
Finally, at the end of May 2016, Jackson completed Front Line chemo, and they all thought the hardest times were behind him. The plan and intention was that for the next 32 months Jackson would be in long term maintenance, which would consist of daily oral chemo, monthly steroids, monthly IV chemotherapy, and spinal chemotherapy every 1-3 months. Things would begin to be a little more normal. Jackson would even be able to attend school!
Most of the summer was a breeze, and Jackson began 1st grade in August 2016. He was excited to make friends and learn. Chemotherapy suppresses the immune system, so it wasn't long before Jackson caught a cold. He missed a lot of school the first month, and on September 1st of 2016, he became sick once more. He was admitted to the hospital for a relatively short stay, and everyone was hopeful that this would be his last in-patient hospital stay for a while.
On September 26th, 2016, Jackson went to the hospital for a routine treatment when his oncologist decided to look at Jackson's blood. What he saw would change everything. The doctor informed Jackson's parents that they would not be going home, and they scheduled a bone marrow aspiration for the following day. On September 28, 2016, the results came back. His bone marrow was showing 26% leukemia cells. After only 4 months in maintenance, Jackson's cancer had returned. Jackson would now need a bone marrow transplant. They began re-induction therapy right away, consisting of steroid treatment and harsh chemotherapy, with the hopes that Jackson would go back into remission. Samples of his blood were sent to different bone marrow registries hoping to find a match. He was inpatient for 35 days, his longest inpatient stay since being diagnosed. At the time of his discharge, his body had not recuperated enough to check his bone marrow to see if the chemotherapy had been successful, but the doctors were eventually able to check about a week after his discharge. The doctors were hopeful, and they scheduled an appointment to go over the results the following week. The very next day Jackson's oncologist called with the results, and they were not good. Jackson had 35% leukemia in his bone marrow, 9% more than before administering the intensive chemotherapy. The chemo had not worked. In light of this, the bone marrow transplant was no longer an option at this point. The doctors now wanted to look into a trial called (CAR) T-Cell therapy, which is not yet approved by the FDA. There were/are several challenges with this option, in that the T-cells would take several months to manufacture, getting insurance approval would be a challenge, and the family will have to travel out of state, possibly across country.
In November 2016, Jackson had a PICC line placed and T-Cells were extracted from his body. He also began an immunotherapy drug. At that time, Jackson was unable to get a bone marrow transplant, as his bone marrow wans't able to get to 0% leukemia. It was time to proceed with the (CAR) T-Cell Therapy.
Jackson was approved for the T-Cell Therapy which was to be administered at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The Hunter family has temporarily relocated to Philadelphia, where Jackson has been given the T-Cell Therapy in March, 2017. Jackson has since faced numerous challenges.
Jackson's family does not know how long he will be in the hospital. They are living moment-by-moment, as they continue to face many uncertainties. The only thing they know for sure is that they will do anything to ensure that Jackson lives.
As one could understand, due to the circumstances, neither Eric or Gina are currently working. Caring for a child with cancer is a full time job in itself, and they want to be with Jackson every moment they possibly can. Though the medical treatment and hotel stay has been covered by Medicaid, there are many other financial responsibilities that rest on Eric and Gina. Additionally, they are expecting their second child in May, which comes with its own costs. We hope that you find it in your heart to donate to this beautiful family that they may have one less thing to worry about.
Thank you for taking the time to read Jackson's story. For a closer account and updates on Jackson and his family, please visit the Facebook page "Action 4 Jackson."
In Gratitude,
Jackson’s family
#ACTION4JACKSON
www.action4jackson.com
Organizer
Danielle Prusoff
Organizer
Aberdeen, FL
