The Story of Jack Wishart
Jack was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia when he was 5 months old. He was a strong, independent and healthy baby who loved to play and was always smiling. His diagnosis was a shock, as it is for many families in this situation. Jack had 1.5 million white blood cells when he was diagnosed - he should have had less than 10,000. The doctors at McMaster Children's Hospital caught it right away. They made life saving decisions that day that our family is eternally grateful for. But we were told that the cancer was so strong that Jack only had a 1 in 5 chance of survival.
Undaunted, Jack fought like a champion. After a very scary few days, he rallied and began to fight. He had three rounds of chemo at Mac, and a round of biomeds to finally kill the last cancer cells. Because he was so young, we lived in the hospital around the clock with him. McMaster Children’s Hospital became our home. Jack learned to crawl and took his very first steps while living in the inpatient ward of 3B2.
Our little Super Jack didn’t know he was sick, because he was too young to understand. He got his chemo while stealing the hearts of doctors and nurses. He bounced in his jolly jumper right by the nurses station and squealed happily to demand attention. Other oncology patients came to laugh and giggle while they watched the happy baby bounce around.
Jack brought joy to everyone who crossed his path. He was a beacon of light, and the Wish❤Heart Fund has been created by his family to continue his legacy and bring some comfort to children and families dealing with cancer.
Jack needed a bone marrow transplant in order to fully eradicate the cancer from his body. We brought him to Sick Kids in Toronto for this procedure, with plans to come home to Mac when we were done. We were petrified, but hopeful. Jack was a fighter and had beaten the odds so far.
The transplant was successful, however Jack caught a cold before his new immune system could start working. And eventually, that cold turned into pneumonia. We never made it home to Mac. Jack passed away when he was 13 months old on May 7th, 2017 surrounded by love.
Although Jack's journey was cut short, his fierce determination spurs us on to fight in his name. His legacy will live on through the smiles of the children and families we want to help.
The Wish❤Heart Fund aims to provide support to those who have to make McMaster their home. Join us in supporting those families and children being treated for cancer at McMaster, and honour our little Super Jack. No child should have to go through a battle with cancer, and no family should have to fight alone.
