Two days after his third birthday, Jacob Neubauer was diagnosed with cancer.
"What's leukemia?" his dad Jeff asked as he hung up the phone at work.
That phone call sent three-year-old Jacob and single dad Jeff on a journey no one wants to take.
"When I heard it was blood cancer I knew I just had to stay positive because Jacob was a strong little kid and he just loves to fight - he's always been a fighter," said Jeff.
Luckily, there's a protocol for treatment for leukemia and Jacob's response was textbook during the three-and-a-half year treatment at B.C. Children's Hospital.
"We were so lucky," said Jeff.
"When we were there I met so many unfortunate parents who went through hell. You know Jacob was my hero for how he fought through it all and he would go once a month for what they called a spinal tap."
When a patient undergoes intrathecal therapy, the doctor performs a lumbar puncture by inserting a needle into the spinal canal. To make the patient as comfortable as possible, local anesthesia or sedation/anesthesia is administered. The doctor then removes spinal fluid to examine cancer cells and replaces it by injecting fluid that holds chemotherapy drugs such as methotrexate, cytarabine or hydrocortisone, according to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada.
Most of the kids are sedated but coherent during the procedure, said Jeff.
"So Jacob would say things like 'oh dad, I love you but you have three eyes and your head's really big' and he was the only kid that would look forward to that because we'd spend the whole day together," said Jeff.
"He called it the funny room."
Despite Jacob and Jeff making the best of a bad situation, Jacob did have to take daily chemotherapy pills, lost his hair and endured everything cancer patients must during the three-and-a-half year treatment plan.
Jeff quickly changes the tough subject by saying how grateful he was to his parents, Linda and Ron Fleming, who took care of Jacob through those tough times, while Jeff had to retain his job as an automotive painter.
Jeff and Jacob came to Prince George five years ago, after Jeff's significant other moved from the Lower Mainland to take a job with Northern Health.
"Jacob is now cancer free and the people at B.C. Children's Hospital have been amazing," said Jeff.
Jacob's happy place
Jacob was two when he started his motorized adventures on a pocket rocket with a governed engine that helped assure Jeff he'd keep it down to a dull roar.
"I had training wheels on it and I chased him up and down the road," said Jeff. "That was his happy spot, you know?"
Even during his treatment, and against doctor's wishes, Jacob kept riding.
The compromise was that he wouldn't race.
Today, Jacob is a healthy, active motocross racer who just celebrated his 12th birthday.
"Now he's hitting 75 foot jumps and it's his last year in the seven to 11 year class," said Jeff.
"He told me, 'if cancer didn't kill me I don't think motocross will,' and I said OK because I race with him and we're both racing in the nationals at the P.G. track this summer," said Jeff.
Blackwater Motocross Park hosts the Canadian Motorsport Racing Corporation national championship event June 10 and 11.
Because Jacob is a Canadian child between the ages of three and 17 who has been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, he is eligible to be granted a wish by the Children's Wish Foundation of Canada.
"Jacob tried to turn down the wish," said Jeff.
"It was so cute. He said 'I came through leukemia and I survived and there are so many other kids out there that could use my wish who really need the wish.'"
Jacob wants to meet motocross star Ryan Dungey, who is an American professional motocross racer competing in the AMA Supercross and Motocross championships.
"He is my idol, I want to ride like him as he picks good lines and is a great rider and nice guy," said Jacob.
Ryan Dungey trains with legendary trainer Aldon Baker, who has a training facility called Baker's Factory in Florida.
Jacob's wish is to meet his hero Dungey at Baker's Factory while getting a few tips to become a better motocross racer.
The wish foundation is setting up the dream-come-true right now. Jacob believes his riding style is similar to Dungey's.
"Jacob is smooth, he hits his line all the time, he's very consistent and Jacob's not a huge risk taker," said Jeff.
"Everybody tells him he has a natural ability to ride and he took this motocross thing on and totally just dragged me right into it. I caught the bug and we haven't stopped."
This will be their fifth season of racing, he added.
"Jacob always tells me this is all he wants to do," said Jeff.
"So for the ladies at the Children's Wish Foundation to try to make this happen is a dream come true."
March is Children's Wish Month and to celebrate, Pacific Blue Cross, the travel insurance provide for all the children who needed to travel during their wish for the last 28 years, has teamed up with the B.C. & Yukon Chapter of the Children's Wish Foundation of Canada to launch the Text Bluewish campaign.
Anyone can donate to the Children's Wish Foundation to support wishes like Jacob's by texting BLUEWISH to 80100 to give $5, $10 or $20.
Donations can also be made online at www.textbluewish.ca.
Pacific Blue Cross will match donations to help reach a goal of $10,000, which is the average cost of a wish.
