Jacob was your typical 11-year-old boy and an avid sports fan and athlete. He had just made the travel baseball team when he began complaining of leg pain in October 2018. Initially diagnosed with growing pains by his pediatrician, a few months later, on March 16, 2019, Jacob experienced extreme leg pain. An x-ray revealed that Jacob had a very rare form of bone cancer called Ewing's Sarcoma, and he was immediately sent to the emergency room at CHOP.

 

​Jacob's treatment plan included 14 rounds of chemotherapy, major orthopedic surgery to try to save his leg, and extensive physical therapy. However, after the surgery, the pathology report showed a positive margin in his knee. This devastating news meant that they couldn't save his leg. Faced with a difficult decision, Jacob chose the option that would give him the best chance of living cancer-free.​

 

In December 2019, Jacob completed his treatment, and in January 2020, he underwent surgery to amputate his right leg. He accepted the decision and was ready to move forward. He received his first prosthetic leg in February 2020 and was set to start physical therapy when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Despite this, Jacob taught himself how to walk with his prosthetic leg with the help of his prosthetist.​

 

Fast forward to 2024, Jacob is now 16 years old, 4 1/2 years cancer-free and a licensed adaptive driver! He is ready to take on the world and has become a motivational speaker and aspires to be a sports broadcaster.