It was the day he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at only 8 years old. He said his medical journey was challenging, but he gained the resilience he has with him today at age 22.

“Cancer is a foreign object and sounds like a mean word,” said Jack. “Even when you’re going through it, you don’t really understand it, especially when you’re young. I went through 25 straight months of chemotherapy. Looking back, losing my hair was such a weird thing to go through. I think the biggest thing it’s taught me is that I am mentally tough. I can get through anything.”

In November 2013, Jack was visited by Make-A-Wish wish granters while he was in remission. He spoke with the wish granters and knew he wanted something he could hold onto forever. Jack is passionate about music and has been playing the drums for as long as he can remember. It was clear to him, his wish would be to get what he calls “a big boy drum set”.

On the day of his wish reveal, his limo escorted Jack and his family to the local guitar center and surprised him with his kit. He said his wish inspired him to continue to pursue his passion and even create a band as a 5th grader. He said Make-A-Wish provided him stickers and t-shirts for him and his friend to wear whenever they performed.

“I’ve been drumming as long as I can remember,” said Jack. “Because of the kit, I went on to pursue music even further. I was in a band in high school and we actually released a whole album on Spotify. The wish meant a lot to me considering 11 years later, I still have it and I still get to play on the set."

Jack attends Missouri State University and plans on graduating by the end of 2024 with a degree in Construction Management.