I wish to be fearless

Jacob is a 13-year-old boy, passionate about thrills, cars and speed. His eyes light up when he thinks about his favourite cars and the intense emotions they provide. Since he was little, he has dreamed of living thrilling adventures, experiences that make him shiver with freedom.

Unfortunately, Jacob’s life took a tragic turn from the moment he was born. Born prematurely, at only 4 pounds, he survived a difficult delivery and emergency resuscitation. At home, the challenges continued: at the age of 8 months, the family was rushed to the emergency room following repeated epileptic seizures. It was then that the diagnosis fell: Jacob had a nervous system disease. The family was overwhelmed by fear, pain, worry and loneliness.

As the family had settled abroad several hundred kilometres away from their family, it was difficult for Marie-Ève, Jacob’s mother, to find support from her loved ones. For 13 years, the family experienced the mourning of all the future plans they had made for Jacob.

Today, Jacob’s health is stable. But the impact of his condition is great: he is not independent and requires continuous support from his family members. Fortunately, he continues to make progress. He can communicate by himself and accomplish certain daily tasks that some teenagers his age with the same condition could not do. His autonomy is growing every day.

In recent years, Jacob has held on to his long-held dream: to be fearless.

For his wish, Jacob was able to enjoy a full week of thrill-seeking activities, such as an adapted parachute jump and laps of a circuit in race car. This wish took a lot of coordination with the racetrack and the sky diving school, with Jacob’s doctors, his occupational therapist, and so many others to ensure he would have proper preparation and safety harnesses for each extreme activity.