The Jack and Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation

If fairy godmothers existed, cancer survivors with late-stage disease who are rearing children might ask: "Fairy Godmother, can you give my family a vacation from my illness? Please?"

Now some parents can.

Like Leah in my previous post, Jill Albert was suffering from late-stage cancer and knew her time was running out. She and her husband, Jon, accepted and prepared for the likely outcome while hoping she would live longer -- even just a little longer -- than expected. Their "hopeful acceptance" gave them the courage and fortitude to prepare their young children, Jake and Jamie, for their mother's death. 

A key element of these preparations was creating mini-vacations from family illness that would become happy memories for the children to recall after Jill died. "'Never again' begins when Mom or Dad dies. When 'never again' begins, memories become our greatest inheritance."

Jon and Jill's shared belief in the healing power of joyful memories led them to start The Jack and Jill Late-Stage Cancer Foundation (JAJF), an organization committed to providing so-called "WOW" experiences to families in need.

Just weeks before Jill died in 2006, she took comfort in watching JAJF get off the ground, saying, "The children need a break...and so do the parents. This Foundation needs to continue. It must." 

In my next post, I'll bring you up-to-date regarding the JAJF.

Comments

[Jack]

I find your recent posts very moving. I am sending you a link to a recent video posted on Boston.com that was made by a mom with cancer. She was trying to leave memories for her children.

http://www.boston.com/video/viral_page/?/services/player/bcpid524210116001&bctid=602765815001

Thanks so much for your blog. Reading it helps me support a friend dealing with stage 4 prostate cancer. I consider him a healthy survivor.

[cindy]

Hi, I was wondering if you have any used Becky and the worry cup.My book when a parent has cancer didn't come with the companion book. I hadn't read your book because I thought we were over this. I was diagnosed with uterine and bladder cancer. Had surgery radiation then major surgery and chemo. Now I set to do a PETscan of lungs to see if it has metastasized. Our daughter is 7y/o now. Now I am reading your book and I didn't realize it never had the Becky book. Please advise. Thanks for your blog and book.

[Wendy S. Harpham, M.D.]

Dear Cindy,
So sorry to hear about the ongoing medical challenges. I do hope you find the bookset useful in helping your young daughter.

Please email me at harpham [at] tx.rr.com and I'll help you get a copy of the children's book, Becky and the Worry Cup. Unfortunately HarperCollins doesn't sell the children's book separately.

You might want to look at The Hope Tree, too, an illustrated book for younger children whose parent has cancer. I co-authored it with Laura Numeroff (she wrote If You Give a Mouse a Cookie). It is sold in paperback by Komen for the Cure. Except for the first-page mention of breast cancer, the entire book is about dealing with a parent with any type of cancer. http://tinyurl.com/wsh-tht

HANG IN THERE. With hope, Wendy