The Austin Shepherd Foundation
Contact us: AustinShepherdFoundation@gmail.com
Jon's Story Through My Eyes.
I don’t even know how old my brother was when he was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, but he was still a little boy. It’s a rare disease in which cancer cells are found in the bone or in soft tissue. It is found in about four out of every 1,000,000 children under the age of 19. My brother was unfortunately one of those four. The most common areas in which it occurs are the pelvis, the femur, the humerus, the ribs and clavicle. The most common side effects are bone pain, bruising and swelling. Long-term survival rate is less than 10%. When Jon was diagnosed, the doctors gave him six months to live. The thing with Jon was, he not only had cancer, but he had Type I Diabetes too. His pancreas was already struggling to do its job. My mom told me that when Jon was a little boy, he started complaining of pain in his hip and leg. She took him to the doctor and they found a spot, but were told it was nothing. My mom had that mother’s instinct and decided that it wasn’t “nothing”. She took him to another doctor and they eventually determined that it was cancer and he would definitely not live to be a teenager. This was all before I was born. I remember my brother constantly getting better and worse over the course of my childhood. When he would go into remission, my brother and my parents would have to go for checkups every month in Birmingham. I remember before every checkup, my brother and my dad would both be so nervous that they would throw up. My parents bought a big van with a bed in the back that lies down so that Jon could be more comfortable on the trips from Arab to Birmingham. I was so embarrassed of that thing but it made Jon feel better. Jon had a long-time girlfriend who he had been dating since 6th grade and she was almost always there doing whatever she could for him and trying to keep his mind off of being sick. He didn’t like being sick, and he loved to help others. He loved football and basketball and went to as many games as he could. He just loved life and always had a smile on his face. Jon was an awesome basketball player. He was in the gym any time it was open! When he couldn’t sleep, he would go to the 24-hour gym in Arab and work out. He played basketball even when he was taking chemo. I remember when his best friends Andrew, Brad, and Brian proudly shaved their heads for him. He played basketball any time he was allowed to, and I think he could have gotten a scholarship for college. He could knock down some threes! He hit nearly every shot he took. I still remember him saying, “SWOOSH!!” and smiling so big when he would knock ‘em down in the basketball goal in our driveway. And shoe fanatic! Man, he had more shoes than I did! He bought a lot of clothes too, but anyone who knew him knew he would only wear XL sized clothing, even though a Medium would have fit. He had so many clothes that he turned the game room in our house into his closet! He loved to shop, and luckily, he shopped for me too! He shopped for everyone though, if you needed something, Jon would make sure you got it, whether he knew you or not. My mom found his Christmas list from when he was a little boy and one of the items on the list was "A house on the lake and a boat. Or just a boat." One Christmas, when furbys were popular and Jon was close to 20, he saw in the newspaper that a few kids asked Santa for furbys. At the time, nobody could find or afford them. What did he do? He went out, found furbys, and bought as many of them as he could find for the kids.
I remember my brother for all of these things, but I remember him most of all for his faith. Every chance he got, my dad and my brother were at a revival. They were always praying and believing God for his healing. I remember walking outside one day and seeing Jon walking around the rocks near the flowerbeds just praying out loud for his healing. His eyes were closed, his hands were lifted, and it was just him and God. He was begging God for his life. I still remember walking in on dad lying in bed with his eyes closed repeating, “Thank you Jesus for healing my son, by Your stripes, he is healed”. He kept saying it over and over again. We all prayed constantly for his healing. Jon loved God with all his heart. I remember before Jon went into his last surgery, my family and the nurses and doctors stood in a circle to pray. Jon looked up at my mom who was crying, said “Why are you crying momma?” and he started to cry. Then he just prayed. My whole family and the whole community prayed for Jon. Everyone was so excited because six months before he passed away, he married his long-time high school girlfriend. Everyone in Arab was there and it was the most beautiful wedding I have ever seen to this day. We never thought he would leave us because he was such an awesome, loving, kind, and amazing person. He didn't deserve it so it couldn't happen. But they say "only the good die young," and he was the BEST.
My sister, Jill had put me to bed in my parents room like she always did when mom and dad were in Birmingham with Jon. The night he died, in the middle of the night, my parents quietly walked in the room and lay down beside me. It was a night I will never be able to forget, because it was the first time I truly felt complete and total heartbreak. Mom and Dad didn’t know I had woken up. I heard my dad say quietly, “I can’t believe my little boy is dead”. I remember feeling a tear roll down my cheek and into the pillow and pretending I hadn't heard anything. I hoped with my whole heart that it was a dream, so I went back to sleep. The next morning, my parents told me that Jon had passed away, but that he will always be standing over me to protect me. The days following have been hard, even after eleven years. Jon still lives in my heart and influences the things I do today. I know he is my guardian angel and sometimes I can feel him walking beside me. He is the reason I want to help others. He is the reason for my unshaken faith in God. I want to help these kids smile that million-dollar-smile that he smiled every day. I want to give them joy for today and hope for tomorrow. I hope you will join me and Austin in our quest to save the lives of kids just like my bubba, Jon.
- Jenna King
