On September 14, 2009, the I Back Jack Foundation held its first Back to School Golf Event at Chenequa Country Club in Hartland, Wisconsin.  The sun was shining brightly in the sky and in the hearts of the participants who generously backed Jack and the other children battling neuroblastoma.

As a result of the tremendous response, Jack and his sister Annie presented doctors at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center with a check in the amount of $55,000.

  "Is there a cure for neuroblastoma?"
 
Jack has been battling neuroblastoma for more than half his life.  During these four-and-a-half years, he has never questioned the treatments, the doctor and hospital visits, or the time away from home and friends; he has just known and accepted that all of it is simply what needs to be done to fight his 'ickies.' Up until now it never occurred to Jack to imagine for one second that there wasn't a cure for neuroblastoma.  But after attending an event on Sunday to support melanoma research, he took to heart the message the speakers delivered about the need to find a cure and obviously began to wonder about a cure for his own type of cancer.

As Jack's parents, we explained to him there are many different types of treatments that can help to get rid of the 'ickies' in his body and we just haven't found the right one for him.  We assured him that we are dedicated in every way possible to finding his cure.  Though Jack seemed satisfied with the response at the time, we know that this is only the beginning of very difficult questions and conversations to come.

The next step in Jack's treatment is this Friday, May 21, when he will undergo surgery in New York to remove the 2 cm. piece of diseased bone from his jaw.  Please keep Jack in your prayers on Friday as we take this important step toward answering Jack's question with a confident, "yes."