Meet Jack Stevens
Jack was just weeks away from his third birthday when he was diagnosed with JMML, a rare form of leukemia. His only treatment option was a stem cell transplant, which is a harsh procedure that firstly requires a patients immune system to be killed off with chemotherapy or other immunosuppressant drugs.
Luckily for Jack, his brother, Oliver, was a stem cell match, and Jack was able to receive a transplant. His initial treatment and transplant took 7 months, during which time, Jack was only able to spend 20 days outside of hospital.
Jack was declared to be in remission on New Years Eve 2020, and went on to have 8 months at home with his family. It was a beautiful time, getting back into the swing of ‘normal’ life.
Devastatingly, Jack’s cancer came back in August 2021, and no further stem cell donor could be found. He was released from hospital to die at home, surrounded by his family, which he did, on 18 November 2021. He was four and a half years old.
Forever Four was founded by Jack’s parents, Louise and Gary Stevens, and is their tribute to him.
Forever Four exists to promote the stem cell donation process in Australia. Recent changes making registration easier, but it is still not well advertised. Numbers would increase if people understood the process better.
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Raise awareness about stem cell donation in Australia
Over 18,500 Australians will be diagnosed with a blood cancer or disorder this year. Stem cells are an essential treatment option for those cases that don’t respond to chemotherapy or radiation.
Australia’s stem cell donor registry has too few viable donors. Help us change this, by raising awareness in the registration process, which is currently poorly advertised.
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SUPPORT BEREAVED FAMILIES
Life stops when you lose a child. And so, too, does nearly every other form of financial assistance that a family might have been getting during cancer treatment.
We give parents who have lost their child a bit of financial breathing room, by helping out with bills that they may not be able to pay, whether that’s because Mum can’t yet face going back to work or because Dad has exhausted his paid and unpaid leave.
How you can help
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Become a donor
Are you under 35? Great! You are the most viable type of person to become a stem cell donor.
To join the Australian donor registry, you need to book an appointment to give blood at Lifeblood.
Once there, tell them that you want to be a stem cell donor, and they will take an additional blood sample.
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Push for change
Australia’s stem cell donor registry is poorly advertised and therefore numbers of registrant is nowhere near the number it could be. We aim to push for, and support state, and national advertising campaigns, to increase the awareness of the registry process.
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Give Practically
You can make a world of practical difference to a family that is grieving the loss of their child, by helping support them financially. Donate below!
Also, do you have a holiday house? We’d love to connect with members of the community that would be happy to donate a week’s free accomodation to a bereaved family. Please get in contact if you can help.