Who is Jacob?
This organization would not exist if it were not for Jacob. In 2012 Jacob, 10, decided he wanted to do something to give back to the hospital that had given him so much and to help other children with blood disorders. He approached his mother about an idea that he had which in turn blossomed into Jacob's Warriors.
When he was 9 months old, Jacob developed a lump near his eye. "We thought it was a mosquito or bug bite at the time," said his mother. His parents soon noticed the lump was not going away, in fact it was getting bigger. Shortly after a visit with their primary care doctor, the family was referred to Akron Children's Hospital (ACH) for bloodwork. The lump was now golf ball size. At ACH, doctors discovered that Jacob's condition was much more serious than a bug bite.
The bloodwork revealed that Jacob had a rare blood disorder called, Diamond Blackfan Anemia (DBA) and Auto Immune Neutropenia (AIN). The DBA prevents the bone marrow from developing red blood cells and the AIN affected his abilitiy to produce white blood cells. Most children become severely anemic from DBA and can develop additional health problems, including leukemia. Diagnosis is usually made within the first year of life.
Jacob was admitted and for the next four months, lived at the hospital with his family. He received three blood transfusions a day and was not expected to live past one year. He also had to receive numerous shots to stimulate white blood cell production. At 13 months, Jacob was released to go home, but his battle had just begun. In 2007, Jacob was cleared of the AIN, he had been cured of it through his treatments.
Since his release, Jacob has to receive monthly blood transfusions and runs the risk of developing leukemia, which often happens with children who have DBA. Jacob currently lives in Streetsboro, Ohio with his mom and little sister, AnnaBelle who also had AIN for three years and received the same treatments as Jacob. He also enjoys WWE wrestling, John Cena is his favorite wrestler, spending time with his family, and playing baseball.
When he was 9 months old, Jacob developed a lump near his eye. "We thought it was a mosquito or bug bite at the time," said his mother. His parents soon noticed the lump was not going away, in fact it was getting bigger. Shortly after a visit with their primary care doctor, the family was referred to Akron Children's Hospital (ACH) for bloodwork. The lump was now golf ball size. At ACH, doctors discovered that Jacob's condition was much more serious than a bug bite.
The bloodwork revealed that Jacob had a rare blood disorder called, Diamond Blackfan Anemia (DBA) and Auto Immune Neutropenia (AIN). The DBA prevents the bone marrow from developing red blood cells and the AIN affected his abilitiy to produce white blood cells. Most children become severely anemic from DBA and can develop additional health problems, including leukemia. Diagnosis is usually made within the first year of life.
Jacob was admitted and for the next four months, lived at the hospital with his family. He received three blood transfusions a day and was not expected to live past one year. He also had to receive numerous shots to stimulate white blood cell production. At 13 months, Jacob was released to go home, but his battle had just begun. In 2007, Jacob was cleared of the AIN, he had been cured of it through his treatments.
Since his release, Jacob has to receive monthly blood transfusions and runs the risk of developing leukemia, which often happens with children who have DBA. Jacob currently lives in Streetsboro, Ohio with his mom and little sister, AnnaBelle who also had AIN for three years and received the same treatments as Jacob. He also enjoys WWE wrestling, John Cena is his favorite wrestler, spending time with his family, and playing baseball.