 |
Soldiers Brighten Day Of Young Boy With Leukemia
(June 14, 2010) | 
|
|
|
Jacob Beckmeyer and his sisters, Sarah and Grace,
play in a National Guard Humvee prior to taking a ride. |
|
WARRENTON, Mo. (ANS, June 10, 2010) -- When Soldiers of the
Missouri National Guard's 3175th Military Police Company
heard of an opportunity to brighten the spirits of a
3-year-old boy battling cancer, there was no shortage of
volunteers.
"Every Soldier in the unit wanted to be a part of this,"
said 1st Sgt. Tim Meers.
It was last fall when Jamie Beckmeyer had first contacted
Sgt. 1st Class Robert E. Bennett with a simple request: to
provide her son, Jacob, with a ride in an Army Humvee for
his third birthday.
"So we set it all up and then Jacob got sick," Bennett said.
"The next time I saw Jamie it was March and that's when she
told me all that had happened with him."
Beckmeyer explained it was just before Jacob's second
birthday, in October 2008, that she began |
|
to notice his condition. |
|
"He became weaker and was taking a lot more naps and then he started
bruising," she said. "We took Jacob to the pediatrician and they did a blood
test and discovered he had Leukemia."
What followed was a rigorous treatment program of chemotherapy and blood
transfusions to battle the cancer.
"The first eight months of the treatment program was a rocky road,"
Beckmeyer said. "Jacob was hospitalized for three months and didn't walk."
Jacob still undergoes chemotherapy once a week and attends physical therapy,
but his prognosis has greatly improved. Doctors report his Leukemia is now
in remission.
On June 5, Beckmeyer brought Jacob and his two sisters, Grace and Sarah, to
the Warrenton Armory to fulfill his birthday wish to ride in a Humvee.
The family was treated to a tour of the facility during which every Soldier
clearly delighted in seeing Jacob run about like any other healthy little
boy.
Capt. Christopher Ash, the company commander, was among those to accompany
Jacob and his family on the Humvee ride.
"My whole unit was touched by being able to make Jacob's birthday wish come
true," Ash said. "We had a very long list of Soldiers who wanted to
volunteer for this. It gives us an opportunity to give back to the local
community and it really is an overwhelming experience for the entire unit."
Not surprisingly, Jacob was equally thrilled.
"When we pulled into the (armory) parking lot, Jacob said, 'Oh my gosh,'"
his mother reported.
Once completed, Jacob declared the ride "fun" while his mother expressed
gratitude to the National Guard.
"The Soldiers have bent over backward to make this happen," she said. "They
are wonderful people and they have touched my heart. I will be able to share
this story with (Jacob) for the rest of my life." | |
Article and
photos by Bill Phelan
Unit Public Affairs
Representative for the 3175th Military Police Company
Copyright 2010
Reprinted from
Army News Service
Comment on this article |
|
