When Jake Hanley was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in 2018, he had completed one day of his freshman year of high school.
Instead of a normal school year he began a journey that would have him traveling to NC Children’s Hospital for weekly inpatient chemotherapy and frequent stays at the Ronald McDonald House. Jake says, “Ronald McDonald House made us feel at home, and the friends we met and the animals that visited helped to make every stay enjoyable.”
After a particularly long and hard treatment day at the hospital, Jake was inspired when his room at RMHCH was adopted by another former family who had come through the other side of their cancer diagnosis. The Hanley family decided when Jake beat cancer, they would adopt a room as well to hopefully inspire future families.
Jake’s mom, Jennifer, said “Just seeing that write up, we felt a connection to this person who had been through it and it incentivized us and gave us the goal to help others one day.”
Following his treatment, he wanted to give back to the House and pay forward the kindness that he and his family received. They adopted room 247, a room that they had stayed in more times than they could remember.
Since Jake has been in remission, he has been awarded the highest rank of Eagle Scout, has graduated successfully from high school, and received a scholarship to attend an aerospace engineering program in the fall. Thank you to the Hanley family for making sure that future families will receive the same love and comfort they had as a Ronald McDonald House family!
