Starlight Gaming Boosts Jack’s Mood During 14 Rounds of Chemotherapy
Meet Jack
For nine agonizing months, Jack grappled with relentless leg and hip pain that gradually caused him to withdraw socially and physically from his favorite activities.
The moment Jack's family received the devastating diagnosis of metastatic bone cancer, a rare and aggressive cancer, they rallied friends, family, and their community around Jack to lift his spirits and give him endurance.
As a childhood cancer patient, 14 rounds of chemotherapy became the grueling routine over the next nine months. Jack's family estimates that they spent over 350 hours sitting through infusions, as well as facing other challenges in between chemotherapy, such as being hospitalized for fever and neutropenia.
The continuous cycle of chemo and hospitalization took its toll.
"When Jack gets admitted to the hospital, I always love to climb next to him in the bed to hang out. [One particular] admission, we lucked out with the [Starlight Gaming Station.] It was so fun to play the games and pass the time. I don't know if you've heard, but hospital time is similar to dog years. For every minute outside the hospital, it feels like 7 minutes [inside the hospital] when you're admitted," says his mom, Diane.
Playing interactive video games on the Starlight Nintendo Gaming Station gave Jack a sense of relief from the stress of the situation, boosting his mood and helping him find happiness in the hospital.
"It made the hospital stay bearable. I know that sounds funny to put so much credit in a Nintendo Switch, but until your child is stuck in a hospital bed, depressed, that Gaming Station brought joy and lightened the sadness." - Diane, Jack's mom.
Starlight exists to make the hospital an easier place to be. Millions of kids across the country, like Jack, face similar challenges and need support.
When you give happiness to kids, you can make a tremendous difference in their ability to endure treatment and have emotional well-being during their hospital stay.
Consider funding a Starlight program today.
