CORNWALL, Ontario – Jessica Carter’s three-year-old son Jack was diagnosed in December with a stage 4 Neuroblastoma, which is a tumor in his abdomen, they later learned that it had spread to his lymph-nodes.
This diagnosis has set Jessica’s family on an 18 month journey for Jack’s treatment. They have a hard road ahead of them, but Carter says that the community has already begun to come together around them to show their support.
Carter has had to take time off from her job as a Registered Nurse at the Cornwall Community Hospital to help be with Jack through his treatments, which include five-day long stays at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) for chemotherapy, and later a three month stay in Toronto as Jack begins stem-cell treatment.
Meanwhile Jack’s father, Jessica’s husband, Jeff McNamara, is at home with their six-year-old daughter Emma holding down the fort.
“It’s been hard, we’ve been at the hospital more than we’ve been at home,” Carter said.
Earlier in February O’Neill’s Pub in Long Sault held a fundraiser that brought in $3,500 to help offset the financial hardship that has come with Jack’s treatments. Additionally, the Candlelighters, an organization dedicated to helping family’s in Carter’s situation donated parking passes for CHEO to the family.
On Feb. 22 Shoeless Joe’s in Cornwall is holding a fundraiser for Jack and his family, donating $4 to the family from the sale of each of the following menu items:
Burgers:
-Joe’s Signature Smashed Burger
-Lumber Jack Burger (cheddar cheese, bbq sauce sauteed onions and lattice fries)
-Maple Bacon Peppercorn Burger (Old Cheddar and Maple Peppercorn Bacon)
All burgers come with burger sauce/lettuce/tomatoes/onions and pickles and served with Thin Cut Fries or House salad with Balsamic dressing.
*Upgrades available (will be posted in comment section)
*Please try to limit modifications for allergies only in order to help streamline the event.
Wings:
Single order of Wings
10 Wings Dusted with choice of sauce (Mild, Smoky Chipotle, Buffalo Butter) and Garrlic Dill dip.
Wings are not served with a side.
Orders can be made over the phone by calling 613-935-6410 or via Shoeless Joe’s Cornwall’s Facebook page.
In addition to the fundraisers mentioned above, there is also a GoFundMe page that has been setup to help the family offset the costs related to Jack’s treament.
“This community has been so great,” Carter said.
