Our Stories
Healthier Children. A Better World.™
Meet Jack W
Eight-year-old Jackson, or Jack as he is known to friends and family, was diagnosed in March 2002 with neuroblastoma. It is a rare and as-yet incurable form of cancer that arises from the adrenal glands, above the kidneys, and often spreads to other organs.
Jack W, Neuroblastoma
Neuroblastoma accounts for nearly 10 per cent of all childhood cancers and is also the most common tumour in babies under one year of age. The younger the child when diagnosed, the better the chance of survival.
Unfortunately, children with this type of cancer are usually diagnosed in a later stage of the disease, and the treatment is aggressive. Jack underwent six rounds of chemotherapy, 12 rounds of radiation, and a bone marrow transplant. He also had three major surgeries, including the removal of his right kidney where a large tumour was located. Jack is now in remission from his cancer but still comes to SickKids for other non-cancer related conditions including a mild form of cerebral palsy.
He loves spending time with his little brother and playing all types of games.
Each year, SickKids sees approximately 320 new cancer patients, representing more than 25 per cent of all new cases of paediatric cancer in Canada. In Ontario, SickKids is the only children’s hospital that provides the full range of treatments for children requiring the most complex cancer treatments: chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, bone marrow transplantation and palliative care.
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