Team Jack Heroes: The Reasons We Fight
At Team Jack, we push every day to raise funds and awareness for childhood brain cancer. We fight for all the families whose lives are changed forever because of this disease. And we fight for the children who battle every day. For them, we fight for a future without childhood brain cancer. Get to know the children and families we fight for—our heroes. All donations made in honor of a Team Jack Hero will help Team Jack fund impactful childhood brain cancer research to improve treatments for children worldwide.
Stella McConnell
Hometown: MCCOOK, NE
Diagnosis: DIPG
Date of Diagnosis: 2022
Current Status: FIGHTING
Gabe Sorensen
Hometown: Omaha, NE
Diagnosis: RARE BRAIN TUMOR
Date of Diagnosis: 2021
Current Status: STABLE
Claire Bennett
Hometown: ALBION, NE
Diagnosis: LOW GRADE GLIOMA | CORTICAL DYSPLASIA
Date of Diagnosis: 2021
Current Status: FIGHTING
Nate Waggoner
Hometown: Elkhorn, NE
Diagnosis: DIPG
Date of Diagnosis: 2008
Current Status: BECAME AN ANGEL IN 2010
Jessica Petty
Hometown: LINCOLN, NE
Diagnosis: CHOROID PLEXUS CARCINOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 1999
Current Status: STABLE
Jack Speichert
Hometown: KANSAS CITY, MO
Diagnosis: ETANTR
Date of Diagnosis: 2014
Current Status: BECAME AN ANGEL IN 2015
Maddie Hellwig
Hometown: KANSAS CITY, MO
Diagnosis: EPENDYMOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2013
Current Status: IN REMISSION
Mackenzie Kluck
Hometown: AURORA, NE
Diagnosis: LOW-GRADE ASTROCYTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2008
Current Status: STABLE
Aiden Melia
Hometown: OMAHA, NE
Diagnosis: MEDULLOBLASTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2018
Current Status: STABLE
Stella Drake
Hometown: FREMONT, NE
Diagnosis: PILOCYTIC ASTROCYTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2020
Current Status: STABLE
Emma Baker
Hometown: OMAHA, NE
Diagnosis: GLIOBLASTOMA MULTIFORME
Date of Diagnosis: 2018
Current Status: NO EVIDENCE OF DISEASE
Derek Gerlach
Hometown: DELL RAPIDS, SD
Diagnosis: MEDULLOBLASTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2018
Current Status: STABLE
Jack Hoffman
Hometown: ATKINSON, NE
Diagnosis: GLIOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2011
Current Status: IN TREATMENT
Bettie Chambers
Hometown: BENNET, NE
Diagnosis: LOW-GRADE ASTROCYTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2018
Current Status: STABLE
Olivia Swedberg
Hometown: North Platte, NE
Diagnosis: DIPG
Date of Diagnosis: 2015
Current Status: BECAME AN ANGEL IN 2015
Kieran Akerson
Hometown: VALLEY, NE
Diagnosis: PILOCYTIC ASTROCYTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2020
Current Status: STABLE
Adyn Stevens
Hometown: Kearney, NE
Diagnosis: ANAPLASTIC ASTROCYTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2019
Current Status: BECAME AN ANGEL IN 2020
Hudson Sands
Hometown: Olathe, KS
Diagnosis: DIPG
Date of Diagnosis: 2019
Current Status: BECAME AN ANGEL IN 2020
Terry LaFore
Hometown: Ogallala, NE
Diagnosis: MEDULLOBLASTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2020
Current Status: BECAME AN ANGEL IN 2020
Sofia Canchola
Hometown: GERING, NE
Diagnosis: GLIOBLASTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2018
Current Status: BECAME AN ANGEL IN 2020
Ezra Sallman
Hometown: OLATHE, KS
Diagnosis: MEDULLOBLASTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2017
Current Status: STABLE
Abbey Girard
Hometown: NORTH PLATTE, NE
Diagnosis: MEDULLOBLASTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2016
Current Status: FIGHTING
Abigail Boogerd
Hometown: BENNINGTON, NE
Diagnosis: GANGLIOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2017
Current Status: STABLE
Cole Christensen
Hometown: LINCOLN, NE
Diagnosis: ANAPLASTIC EPENDYMOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2011
Current Status: BECAME AN ANGEL IN 2012
Izabella Eckhardt
Hometown: HOLSTEIN, NE
Diagnosis: PINEOBLASTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2016
Current Status: Fighting
Jessica Gooder
Hometown: PHILLIPSBURG, KS
Diagnosis: STAGE 4 GLIOBLASTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2013
Current Status: IN REMISSION
Caleb Gulizia
Hometown: OMAHA, NE
Diagnosis: GLIOBLASTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2006
Current Status: CANCER FREE SUFFERS SIDE-EFFECTS
Maddie Brown
Hometown: LINCOLN, NE
Diagnosis: GLIOBLASTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2011
Current Status: BECAME AN ANGEL IN 2013
Katelyn Sybrandts
Hometown: GRAND ISLAND, NE
Diagnosis: EPENDYMOBLASTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2013
Current Status: IN REMISSION
Sage Fisher
Hometown: PAWNEE CITY, NE
Diagnosis: PILOCYTIC ASTROCYTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2013
Current Status: STABLE
Tyson Zimmer
Hometown: LINCOLN, NE
Diagnosis: MEDULLOBLASTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2011
Current Status: BECAME AN ANGEL IN 2012
Oliver Fangman
Hometown: OMAHA, NE
Diagnosis: MEDULLOBLASTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2014
Current Status: IN REMISSION
Cayden Hubbard
Hometown: LINCOLN, NE
Diagnosis: PILOCYTIC ASTROCYTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2007
Current Status: STABLE
Grady Simants
Hometown: NORTH PLATTE, NE
Diagnosis: MEDULLOBLASTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2015
Current Status: PASSED IN 2022
Isaiah Casillas
Hometown: NORTH PLATTE, NE
Diagnosis: BRAIN TUMOR
Date of Diagnosis: 2012
Current Status: BECAME AN ANGEL IN 2012
Seth Ostrander
Hometown: HASTINGS, NE
Diagnosis: PILOCYTIC ASTROCYTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2014
Current Status: IN REMISSION
Emma Gehring
Hometown: PAPILLION, NE
Diagnosis: PILOMYXOID ASTROCYTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2013
Current Status: BECAME AN ANGEL IN 2020
Nick Herringer
Hometown: HASTINGS, NE
Diagnosis: GLIOBLASTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2015
Current Status: FIGHTING
Kallie Brovold
Hometown: MANKATO/ST. PETER, MN
Diagnosis: GRADE III ANAPLASTIC ASTROCYTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2013
Current Status: IN REMISSION
Gigi Carrera
Hometown: LINCOLN, NE
Diagnosis: ANAPLASTIC ASTROCTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2014
Current Status: BECAME AN ANGEL IN 2015
Lamya Luckey
Hometown: CAIRO, NE
Diagnosis: MEDULLOBLASTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2013
Current Status: IN REMISSION
Landon Martin
Hometown: JEFFERSON, IA
Diagnosis: ANAPLASTIC PLEOMORPHIC
Date of Diagnosis: 2018
Current Status: BECAME AN ANGEL IN 2018
Jordan Shaw
Hometown: KEARNEY, NE
Diagnosis: GRADE 2 ASTROCYTOMA
Date of Diagnosis: 2007
Current Status: IN REMISSION