MSgt James Jordahl's Battle with Cancer

James "The Yeti" Jordahl passed away peacefully on December 10, 2020 in Colorado Springs, CO from complications of Ewing's Sarcoma, with his wife by his side. The obituary is posted as an update on this campaign. Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers as family and friends cope with his passing. God Bless.

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MSgt James D. Jordahl aka “The Yeti” is a battle buddy of mine that I care for dearly. He’s a Husband, a Father and a Warrior. I am better for knowing him.

At the young age of 37, James has been diagnosed with an aggressive and incurable cancer (small round blue cell Ewing’s Sarcoma, with a PATZ-1 mutation, stage IV) and I am humbly asking you to help me raise funds on behalf of the Jordahl Family. Any amount helps. James told me that his number one concern was making sure that  his wife Michelle, his daughter Sydney (10), and son Zach (8) were taken care of. All funds raised will go directly to the family and help with the costs associated with care and treatment and towards financial stability as they face a very uncertain future. 

James and Michelle were planning James’ retirement after 20 years of honorable military service when he learned he had cancer after a chest X-ray revealed numerous nodules in his lungs, chest, and back. 

Despite numerous scans, tests, and biopsies, the doctors were having difficulties diagnosing. Preliminary pathology reports leaned towards malignant melanoma, so though they weren’t 100% sure exactly what type of cancer he had, he and his physician made a joint decision to move forward with immunotherapy treatment for malignant melanoma. 

Ten days after immunotherapy, his pain went through the roof. The debilitating pain left him unable to walk over 50 feet without doubling over and he began experiencing other unexpected and painful side effects. After documenting his pain levels and increased symptoms over a few weeks, James and Michelle asked his oncologist for a medication change.

Within 48 hours, he was a different person. His pain/spasms were under better control. Three rounds of radiation on two very fragile spots on the spine (L2) and right pelvis were completed. The radiation was used for pain control and to stall the growth of these two tumors before one reached the spinal column. The L2 nerve root has been completely obliterated by a tumor, which is why he was having a hard time walking.

On 3 July 2019, the long wait for a definitive  diagnosis was over:  The foundation testing (final pathology) came back with a diagnosis of small round blue cell Ewing’s Sarcoma, with a PATZ-1 mutation, stage IV. 

This is an extremely rare bone and soft tissue sarcoma. Sarcoma alone accounts for only 1% of all cancers. James’ Sarcoma doctor in Denver has never seen this mutation before and her peers know of only two other cases in the United States. Ewing’s sarcoma in very rare, especially in adults. This mutation and how it responds to chemo therapy is completely unknown.

James followed up with his sarcoma physician on 8 July to discuss exactly what was going on. Unfortunately, an additional PET scan proved that the immunotherapy treatment had fueled his cancer, rather than helped. Nodules doubled/tripled in size and numbers in only six weeks. New spots have surfaced and smaller spots joined together to become masses. His torso and lungs have too many to count. 

All this has led to his current treatment plan: He will be admitted for inpatient aggressive chemotherapy (three different types) in Denver on 19 July. He will receive chemo for 5 days and an additional day of monitoring and hydration before being released to home for 2 weeks. His immune system will be devastated before trying to rebuild itself over the following week. 

He will repeat this cycle, up to 15 times, admitted to the hospital for 6 days every 3 weeks. After the 2nd treatment of chemo, 6 weeks after starting, his physician will repeat his PET scan to see if there is any improvement. If so, he will continue. If not, his future is unknown. This type of cancer is incurable and he will eventually succumb to it. We just hope and pray that it proves to be treatable.

This is the toughest objective that “The Yeti” has ever faced. He said, "it's like being on a long ruck march in the middle of the woods with no compass and no map until I find the next waypoint." His body is ravaged by cancer, he’s weak, his future is uncertain, and yet he fights on. Because that’s just who he is. I love you brother.  Infragilis Vexillum. 

Please pray for him, Michelle, Sydney, and Zach. 


“When a warrior fights not for himself, but for his brothers, when his most passionately sought goal is neither glory nor his own life’s preservation, but to spend his substance for them, his comrades, not to abandon them, not to prove unworthy of them, then his heart truly has achieved contempt for death, and with that he transcends himself and his actions touch the sublime.”  ~Gates of Fire