The first thing you have to know about Jacob Thompson is that he loves penguins. Like other 9-year-old boys his age, he also likes “Star Wars” Lego and the Minecraft game. But there’s something about Jacob’s favorite poem “Advice From a Penguin” that really captures what this young person is all about:
Dive into life
Find warmth among friends
Appreciate snow days
Take long walks
Stand together
Go the extra mile
Keep your cool
The second thing you have to know about Jacob is that he has a stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma, a highly aggressive cancer, which in this case is incurable. He was diagnosed with the disease when he was five and doctors believe he only has a few weeks to live.
A young person’s final Christmas wish
This year, Jacob’s family has decided to celebrate Christmas a little early. They want to create memories filled with festive trees, Santa Claus and reindeer-led sleighs. But Jacob doesn’t want to celebrate this holiday alone; he wants to share the Christmas spirit with others from across the globe. You see, Jacob has a very special holiday wish — he’d like to get a card the from everyone who’d like to share this special time of year with him.
Jacob’s interest in receiving cards began just recently. As his mother explains, “He got some cards from this Halloween, and he opened up and saw them and it was like getting a gift. He read it to us and had a big smile his face and his nose scrunched.” Jacob’s dad added, “He was excited to see what people had to say and it just brightened his day.”
How to send Jacob a card
Already, Jacob has received hundreds of cards since his request was made public. The cards have been pouring in from all over the world including far-flung places such as the Netherlands, Denmark and Australia.
There’s even been a couple of cards from Antarctica. But that’s not surprising. After all, that’s where penguins live and they know what’s important. You look out for each other, you do what can to warm each other up, and you stick together through thick and thin.
If you’d like to send Jacob a card you can reach him at:
Jacob Thompson
c/o Maine Medical Center
22 Bramhall Street
Portland, ME 04102
USA
People reach out to Jacob on social media
As you might expect, people are reaching out to Jacob via social media too. They are recording videos, posting pictures and leaving heartwarming messages of support. Here is a sampling of what individuals and groups are sharing with Jacob online.
https://www.facebook.com/susan.varela.3/videos/10211033018209408/
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10213644555363266&set=a.2189582414174.125882.1085511066&type=3
https://twitter.com/michaelseitzman/status/926259072021778434
What a great turnout by some of our lady hawks to make some Christmas cards for Jacob Thompson! @jaketapper pic.twitter.com/WmtjQkB8Ui
— Holly Springs Soccer (@HSpringsSoccer) November 3, 2017
If you’d like to make Jacob’s Christmas wish come true, then please share this article. If you are interested, Jacob’s family has also set up a GoFundMe page to help with expenses.
— Scott O’Reilly
