A Tale of 3 Jacks

From the day he was born, I would call my sweet Jack, Jack Attack. Jack Attack and Super Cooper...my boys. This probably stems from the fact that I always give my kiddos nicknames at school. In fact, I still call some of my buddies Jack Attack or Zack Attack at school, and since the term JackAttack has taken on a whole other meaning, it has definitely confused some of their classmates. People, especially my innocent students, ask me a lot why we say JackAttack for Jack’s battle against Leukemia. Many think it’s because of Jack Jack from the Incredibles. Lots of my students believe he actually IS Jack Jack, which is something I love to play along with each day. But I thought I’d share the real story of how Team Jack became JackAttack.

When we first arrived at the hospital, we were told Jack had Leukemia cells present. What most people don’t know is that Leukemia comes in many types and forms. ALL and AML being the main categories. From the get go, doctors stated that all signs pointed to ALL, the easier to treat of the two which comes with a better prognosis. We were relieved, and mentally prepared ourselves for the road ahead. After many tests and lots of waiting, doctors returned only to say that they were so very sorry, but they were wrong and it was instead AML. This was like a punch to the gut. We had prepared for an easy diagnosis and treatment and now doctors were not only saying he had AML, but a very rare subset of the disease. Dan and I decided it was time to get serious not about the road ahead, but about the fight. With AML came more aggressive treatments. With it came far more time in the hospital. And with it came a poorer prognosis. While smiles and positive thoughts can get you so far, we knew we needed to get ready for battle. This was going to be boxing match where only one guy is left standing in the ring, and I’m sorry to say, AML, that guy is going to be Jack.

Ironically, Dan and I have had print of Leroy Neiman’s Rocky Vs Apollo in our basement for years. When we got the news about Jack’s diagnosis, we took it as a sign and brought it to the hospital. Before Jack’s first round of chemo, Dan posted a picture of Jack in front of the poster with the phrase, “Ding, Ding” highlighting the end of Rocky II when Rocky and Apollo are sparing. Each round Jack and AML are getting in the ring, and each time a decision is made as to who won the round. Now, let’s not pretend that we are is a little baby battle here- we are talking no holds bar, bloody brawl where both Jack and Cancer are coming out battered. Jack shows physical signs of the fight, like losing his hair, and being pale. But man oh man, he’s got a snarky side too. He smiles during chemo, laughing at AML in the face. He continues to eat, gain weight, and get stronger, like that fighter who takes a beating, wipes true blood from his brow, smiles at his opponent, then gets right back in for more. Well a few weeks ago we finished Round 1 and when we came back for Round  2, the judges had made a decision. Round 1 went to Callahan. His first remission was achieved.

Now we have just finished Round 2 and we are in the waiting period. You see, the goal of Induction Chemotherapeutic treatments is to rid the blood of Leukemia cells and reduce the number of blasts in bone marrow to normal. This is essentially done by knocking everything, the good, the bad, everything, down to nothing and hoping that the body can regrow only the good healthy cells. Each session of chemo has a time where we say Jack has “bottomed out,” meaning his ANC, necessary for fighting infection, is down to zero and we are hoping that his numbers will start to rise up again soon. Just for comparison sake, a normal person’s ANC is between 1500 and 8000.

In something that I feel that only a parent can relate to, I feel that I bottom out when Jack does. In Round 1, when Jack’s numbers reached zero and he was at his most vulnerable, I was also at my own low point. That’s when the most tears were shed, when I felt myself not being as nice as I could, and when emotionally I’d reached zero. Now Round 2 has been different in that this time my zero hasn’t come in an emotional form, but in a physical. This past week, I physically was drained. After weeks of waking up to spend the morning with Jack, driving to the Poconos, teaching a full schedule as well as planning a school-wide art show, then driving back to Danville, I was exhausted. What started as the typical “is this allergies or a cold” scenario, turned into a full blown sickness that I probably could have fought off better if I was taking better care of myself. That’s where my village comes in again…

I was banned from the hospital from my Dad who was there overnight with me so I could go to work (again, my village is amazing). My Dad knew I was trying so hard to be able to be with Jack, but in being his protector as well as mine, he took over in every physical interaction with Jack as soon as my symptoms seemed iffy in the middle of the night. He did this without ever saying a word. Being the three of us in this little room, my coughing kept us all awake. Jack became fussy and wanted to be held. While my Dad no doubt was tired and annoyed, he never let on. In fact, he made sure to take the time to reassure me that it was okay. See that’s how my Dad has always been. He’s a buster and I have no doubt that’s where my Jack gets his own “go ahead hit me again, Cancer” attitude. He can bust someone’s chops for almost anything and can laugh in even the hardest situations. He makes it so you have to lighten up and enjoy life. Even though he’s tough (probably a trait inherited from my Grandpa), he loves nothing more than to make us happy and smile (definitely a trait he got from my Grandma). That’s why I’m not at all surprised that my Dad has been there for Jack during this whole ordeal. That’s just who he is - my tough but loving Dad and Jack’s full of fun and willing to do anything to make him smile Grandpa. But he’s not the only one.

The OG Jack Callahan is one that I do not recall ever meeting. I say it that way because it’s more than likely that we were together in the same room on more than one occasion, but unfortunately Dan’s father passed away shortly before we began dating. From what I’ve been told by family, friends, and various barkeeps around the area, Jack Callahan was one of a kind. He was an insanely funny guy who’s stories still put tears of laughter in the eyes of the person who’s telling them. Like my Dad, he was a huge buster...which is probably why they got along so well. And he loved Dan very much. Jack, like my Jack, battled cancer. Unfortunately, in that battle, cancer won. But that’s not to say that Jack’s legacy hasn’t lived on. He is remembered and loved by so many. Despite the fact I never knew him, I can feel his presence in our Jack’s fight. He’s here with him, watching over him and giving him strength. The strength that only he can understand is needed to kick Cancer’s ass once and for all.

So there you have it. Three Jacks. May not be the best hand in poker, but it beats all the rest in My book.