Jace Kinley Thompson
Live and Love Like Warriors.....
Many of you do not know of Jace's LOVE for Monster Jam. It started long before Jace got sick. Our DVR was loaded full of recorded Monster Jam shows and played on a constant loop per Jace's request.
One of Jace's favorite Monster Jam trucks was the Mohawk Warrior. Jace had every Mohawk Warrior truck I believe they made and those were among his go to trucks to use during his own Monster Jam show.
When Jace got sick and wasn't able to walk, we would set up our dining room table to replicate an actual Monster Jam show. We would have live color commentators giving play by play, jump by jump which would make Jace smile and laugh which was our goal.
Through the power of social media, Mohawk Warrior found out about our Warrior and it blew us away when he reached out to us. That is where the friendship began and we are so grateful for all the things Mohawk Warrior did to make Jace smile over his 347 day fight.
Bryce Kenny is one of the most selfless person we've met during our journey. He truly has a passion for helping others and is using his ability to reach others to be able bring a smile to others faces. Bryce has created the www.livelikewarriors.com platform to provide a space where he can share stories of families in need and reach out to a large group who rally behind the scenes to fulfill the need.
One of the amazing things about what Bryce is doing is sharing stories from others who have gone through the trenches of cancer. Recently, Bryce and I sat down and discussed what and how others can help families that are going through cancer treatment.
We hope you will take time to watch this candid conversation between two Warriors on "What Hurting Families Actually Need!."
Go check out his website and become a part of his Live Like Warriors. He's doing great things for others.
Jace Kinley Thompson was a typical active little boy who loved life, loved his family, pancakes, the beach, the woods and anything equipped with wheels. Jace’s smile was captivating, and he loved to meet strangers.
He was four years old when he was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma…DIPG. DIPG is an aggressive, pediatric brain tumor that attacks and attaches itself to the brain stem…there is NO cure. Upon diagnosis, DIPG is a death sentence.
Jace courageously fought this horrific disease for 347 days. He never complained during the entire ordeal; he never quit, never gave up. He always had a smile for everyone. During his courageous fight, thousands of people grew to love Jace; they followed his story and prayed for him without ceasing.
After 347 days, the evil DIPG tumor finally destroyed his ability to smile, to walk, to speak, to sit up, to hear, to swallow, and finally to breathe. As it does with all victims, most of whom are young children, DIPG steals all physical capabilities leaving the child’s mental and cognizant abilities untouched. They are very aware that they are trapped inside a failing body.
Jace left us when he was only five years old.
In honor of his unwavering and courageous spirit in fighting the most deadly and horrific of all pediatric cancers, the Warrior Jace Foundation was created in 2019. Our publicly stated mission is to raise awareness of DIPG and to raise funds specifically dedicated to research designed to develop better treatment options and to ultimately find a cure for DIPG.
There are many doctors and scientists dedicated to this cause; however, they are severely limited in their research efforts and in their clinical trials because of insufficient funding dedicated to their specific research into DIPG.
Current research trials dedicated to DIPG are mostly funded by private donations and grants from small family foundations. In fact, research into ALL pediatric cancers receives only 4% annually of all the cancer research funds granted by the National Cancer Institute which is a part of the National Institute of Health (NIH). Most of these funds are given to pediatric research hospitals such various larger known hospitals who lobby continuously for both private and public funds. These hospitals work hard to find cures for many types of pediatric cancers, but DIPG has NEVER been a focus of their research.
Jace did not deserve to die at the age of five years old…neither do the hundreds of other children who are killed every year by DIPG.
Jace’s kind and loving spirit lives on. His work on this earth is not finished. Though his life was short, his story continues. Through the Warrior Jace Foundation, we will continue to work diligently to give children diagnosed with DIPG a chance to live.
