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Jackson O'Neil
Jackson's 8th grade school photo 8/ 2012.
Welcome to our son Jackson's web page. Jackson was diagnosed with ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) on November 22, 2004. Jackson's treatment is approximately 3 1/2 years long. Click here for more information on his protocol, CCG1991.
Please check back frequently for updates on his treatment. Please make sure you sign his guestbook each time you visit us. Jackson loves reading all the entries! Thank you to all our friends and family for your thoughts and prayers!
Jackson and Faith with the "Butt Tree" at Camp Okizu.
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You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself,"I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.". . . You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
-Eleanor Roosevelt
If you are ever wanting to know how we, Jackson's parents are feeling, this beautiful song sums it up. It is called He's My Son performed by Mark Schultz.
JACKSON'S SMILE QUILT!
JACKSON'S QUILT OF LOVE!
Jackson's banner made by the Big Brave Banner Site
The Littlest Soldiers
The medals on our chests
Are portacaths for meds
Helmets won't stay on
Cause no hair is on our heads.
Our weapons of destruction
We take every day
We fight the battle within us
While we struggle on to play.
We fight with honor and courage
No marine could do as well
We are only little children
Living in this hell.
So bring on the medals
The Purple Hearts of Wars
The Gold Cross, The Silver Star
To place upon our scars.
For We are the Children of Cancer
No one has fought so hard
But every day we struggle on
Our LIFE is our reward.
by Cheryl Jagannathan
mom to a leukemia survivor
Important Information!!
Normal Blood Counts for Healthy Children
White Blood Cells (WBC): 5,000-10,000
Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC): over 1500
Hemoglobin (HGB): 11.5-13.5
Hematocrit (HCT): 34-40%
Platelets: 160,000-500,000
Journal
Thursday, January 31, 2013 10:08 PM CST It's been almost three years since I last wrote an entry on Jackson's caringbridge site. I think the main reason is because life has moved on and so have our lives. This evening I'm feeling alot of emotions. Quite honestly, I never knew if I would be sitting where we are today. So many things passed through my mind back in 2004 when we were told Jackson had cancer. I couldn't at the time even wrap my head around 3 1/2 years of chemotherapy let alone reaching our five year survivorship date of February 1, 2013. Tomorrow marks a magical day for us. It will be five years of remission. That's a HUGE landmark which means Jackson is "cured".
I spent a little time going through our old entries on caringbridge and that was enough for me. It has been a long journey to get where we are today, and we are so thankful. We have two beautiful children who are thriving and doing well.
Faith is in the fourth grade and having a great year. Her teacher is amazing and Faith really has connected with her. Faith is also playing CYO basketball and doing hip hop dancing. She has a funny and witty sense of humor and still has a love for all animals.
Jackson is in the 8th grade. We are in the process of deciding which high school he will attend next year. I still can't believe it. He continues to do well in school and is in two AP classes. Tonight he wrapped up his middle school's basketball season. Again, another can't believe it moment. He's officially taller than me and reminds me almost daily. He's your typical teenage boy, with a little attitude, but is growing into a kind and funny young man.
While I'm sure we'll face various challenges with Jackson's health in the coming years, we couldn't be any more excited to be celebrating this HUGE milestone tomorrow. Thank you to our family and friends for being there to support us as well as the caring medical staff who has taken such great care of us over the years. It's been a long 8 plus years, but I'm proud to say, we are survivors! This will be the final entry in Jackson's caringbridge journal and we thank you for your support, love and caring messages.
Wishing you all many laughs, joys and happiness today and in the coming years.
Love, Tiffany, Eric, Jackson and Faith
Read Journal History
Hospital Information: Patient Room: Home Sweet Home! UCSF Children's Hospital
505 Parnassus Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94143
Links:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kathyvanriper Our great friend - We miss you!
http://www.marrow.org National Bone Marrow Donor Program
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