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Third Day & Jake
Last fall I received a phone call from our church, Northview, asking if I would be willing to take photos for a family where the oldest boy was diagnosed with stage 4 Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma, a very aggressive cancer that started in his leg (and has since spread to other parts of his body). We met in the afternoon during one of the last warm days of 2010. It was awesome to see a little boy who was dealing with the battle of his life to be so care-free and, truly, full of life.
Soon after their session, his treatments began and he has been doing them ever since. During his time at Riley Children’s Hospital, Jake was given a pillow pet. He soon realized how much comfort his pillow pet brought him and decided that all kids going through tough times needed a pillow pet to hold onto.
And, this is where it all began…Northview Church started a drive to collect pillow pets on Jake’s behalf. From there, Applebee’s picked up on it along with the K-Love radio station. To say that this has become viral would be an understatement. Kids all over the United States are collecting pillow pets now in honor of Jake. They are sending them to their local hospitals in hopes that they will make a difference for so many little ones who are hurting.
Jake’s story doesn’t stop there. A few weeks back, Third Day was in concert at Northview Church and wanted to surprise Jake with some of the pillow pets that had been collected. And, that is where we came in…again. 😉 We were contacted by K-Love to document the day with Third Day, 10th Avenue North, and Trevor Morgan. Of course, we were honored to say yes. The day started out with interviews at the K-Love radio station in Indianapolis. 
Following the interviews, we headed down to Riley Children’s Hospital where Third Day surprised Jake and gave a free mini-concert to the patients at the hospital. As you will soon see, there were a lot of pillow pets. Even more so, there was a lot of compassion and love. I can’t imagine the schedules that bands have to follow…moving from one city to the next–especially when they are on tour. However, you would have thought the Third Day guys had all of the time in the world. They loved on the kids at Riley and showed true compassion to the families that were there.
We left this event feeling extremely blessed. Being a part of something bigger than yourself is always rewarding. And, in the process, you are always challenged to grow a bit more. The added bonus, of course, was getting to hang out with the K-Love crew, the guys of Third Day, Tenth Avenue North, and Trevor Morgan. We were very impressed by all of them…awesome guys!
Please keep sweet Jake in your prayers. He is in a very tough battle right now and I know that he, and his family, would appreciate your thoughts and prayers. And, a special thanks to my best friend, Shelly, for joining Jeremy and I on this adventure.
To see more images from the day, go to K-Love’s Facebook page HERE
To see more about Jake’s story click HERE
Awesome! God’s big plans through a little boy. Praying for those families for strength, comfort, peace and healing.
Thank you Jesus. For reminding us all what really matters in this life. I am the mother of a seventeen year old daughter who survived cancer at the age of six. Looking at all of these pictures brought it all back for me. I know what Jake’s family is going through. BUT GOD is bigger and stronger than any cancer diagnosis and any circumstance! Thank you K-Love, Third Day, and everyone who brought us these wonderful pictures and this precious story. It really helps to see little Jake’s picture because my heart and prayers have been with him and his family since I first heard the story on K-Love. I will keep Jake & his family close in heart and prayer.