Support Jamie K.

We are a group of people who have been blessed in this life to meet Jamie Weeks and his wife Tamara. You will become blessed just by reading his story. It's the kind of story that you cannot just listen to and continue on with your day. His story is the kind of story that calls for action and speaks deeply to the heart. This fundraiser has been created to raise money for Jamie and his wife Tamara as Jamie battles Stage 4 Ewing Sarcoma Terminal Cancer and anxiously awaits the arrival of their first child. Tamara is currently 26 weeks pregnant while Jamie is traveling between Jacksonville and Gainesville for treatment. God speaks loudly through this family and we pray their story reaches you. Please read their story, share it, and help us to raise funds to ease their journey as much as we can.

This is his story:

"So my wife's name is Tamara and we actually met at a Christian youth group that puts on shows and sermons for young students, teens and other adults. It's called Youth Quake Live. Her cousin used to play football with me in high school and I am really close to her family. We've been married for a little bit over a year and expecting a baby in March. My wife is actually 26 weeks pregnant as of today and we cannot wait for our little blessing to be brought into this world.

So, as a kid who was adopted into a household where his father owned a farm, I grew up around animals. I quickly got into bull and bronco riding in the rodeo. At the beginning of this year, I was riding a bull in the rodeo and got bucked off and kicked in the head by the bull. I thought I might have a concussion because my head hurt and my balance felt a little off. After a few days of taking it easy and hoping it would go away slowly, it was actually getting worse, so I decided to go to the hospital. At this point, it had already been a few days since I got kicked in the head and the doctors just told me to take painkillers and go home. But, as days and weeks passed, I slowly realized it was getting harder and harder to eat or drink and keep any fluid or food down. After about 6 weeks of this, I had lost nearly 60 pounds and became so weak, tired and drained of energy to the point I knew something more serious was going on. I went to my family doctor and told her what was going on and we sat in silence for a little bit. She seemed lost on what to do but she suggested to get an MRI of my head in case there was any internal bleeding. So, I got the scan on May 2nd which was two days before my birthday. It just so happens that on May 5th, the day after my birthday, I woke up in the morning and my wife was already awake in bed with a concerned look on her face. She proceeded to tell me that she had a dream that something bad might happen today but God told me it will be okay. Literally, not even 10 mins after she said that, I got a call from my family doctor. The doctor said, "We have the results from your MRI on May 2nd... can we have you come in to discuss some things... and bring your parents and wife if possible... it's urgent." Having heard that, I was a little worried. So, when I got to the doctor's office, they told me they had not only found bleeding in my brain but that there was a tumor inside of my head, and they estimated it to be the size of a softball. I was told to go to the nearest hospital and that I would have to have brain surgery because the tumor was so big it could have paralyzed me or given me major brain damage, and they were surprised I was still able to stand and walk.

I followed through and went straight to Mayo Clinic. I was admitted, they operated, and they were able to have a smooth surgery and remove the tumor. A week or so later, I was released and sent home. At this point, they were pretty sure about the size of the tumor and that it was a slow-growing tumor that had probably been there for a while. I probably only found out because of the concussion and bleeding. But just to be safe, they sent the tumor to get tested, and when the pathology report came back, it was diagnosed as Ewing Sarcoma cancer which is a bone marrow cancer found in long bones. My doctors were confused because the tumor wasn't growing in any bones or touching any bones but was actually growing in my brain. After about 3 months of them running tests on my tumor to make sure they diagnosed me correctly, they came back and told me it had to be Ewing Sarcoma because that's all it shows. So then we started talking about treatment.

During the time frame of trying to figure out the treatment plan, my wife and I also found out she was pregnant. Fast forward a couple of days to September 5th; it was just like any other day, I came home from work and I was carrying stuff from my vehicle into the house. My friends were coming over to have dinner with us and help us put some things into a Uhaul truck to help our older neighbors move. Well, as I'm walking outside carrying a corner table, just before I get to the Uhaul, I start to feel really off balance and lightheaded. Before you knew it, I had fallen on the ground and had fallen into a seizure. My wife's friends and neighbors found me outside and took me to the hospital, where I was placed under life support for 5 days, unresponsive. When I woke up, I was confused and had no idea where I was or what I was doing in a hospital bed; and I was just in a lot of pain. They told me they needed to run scans on my brain and body to see if the cancer was back or what exactly was going on. Sure enough, my cancer had come back into my brain, but it wasn't the only place it had traveled. It traveled down my spine and into my lungs, and it was spreading rapidly. I was told that I needed to start treatment right away and I talked to my doctors at Mayo Clinic. They said they wouldn't be able to treat me but instead referred me to UF Pediatric Oncologist located in Gainesville. This is where I am currently being treated with chemo and have been diagnosed with Stage 4 Ewing Sarcoma Terminal Cancer. So far, I have done 4 rounds of chemotherapy, and doctors have seen a little bit of progress which is amazing news. Sadly, as much as the chemotherapy is killing the cancer, it's also attacking my liver and kidneys and has given me a bad lung infection and has caused my lungs, lymph nodes and esophagus to swell and become inflamed.

But you know what... I am thankful for every day I get and every opportunity I get to share my story. I wake up every day thankful to be alive and remind myself one step at a time to always trust and place my hope in God. And that's exactly what I will continue to do until I have beat cancer."