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Tim, Jay, and Wendy Rogers.
By Ernie Smothers
smothers@mckenziebanner.com |
TRENTON-Simply stated, Jay Rogers loves life. Listening
to him talk about the things he enjoys-hunting, fishing,
football, one can’t help but be drawn to the
kind-hearted 15-year old. But…beneath his relaxed
exterior and genuine smile, one can sense the presence
of a warrior.
Diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of cancer,
in the fall of 2005, Jay has been forced to ride
cancer’s physically and mentally draining roller
coaster. But, he has not ridden alone. Beside him
through every turbulent twist, rise and fall is father
Tim, mom Wendy, older brother Daniel, and countless
friends and well-wishers. Buoyed by their faith in Jesus
Christ, the Rogers are not merely looking to survive
cancer, they are looking to win. For Jay and family, it
is first and goal…and victory is in sight.
Meet Jay
Talking to Jay, or jay-roo or jay-bird as his friends
call him, one becomes immediately aware of his love for
all things outdoors.
Jay stated, “I really like to fish for bass, crappie and
catfish and hunt for squirrel and deer. I killed a doe
two years ago, and that was a lot of fun. (Jay recently
harvested an eight-point, 125-pound field dressed buck
that he killed during a juvenile hunt in Henry County
while accompanied by Benjamin Lawrence).
Wendy noted that Jay is in the process of applying for
“Hunt of a Lifetime”, a trip designed to allow selected
participants to travel to Alaska to hunt grizzly bears
in the Alaskan peninsula.
She added, “You have to apply for the trip and raise
funds, and if Jay is selected, the trip will occur later
after he has recovered from the bone marrow transplant
scheduled for late this November.”
Jay also loves riding with family and friends through
fields and forests on his Polaris Ranger six-wheel ATV.
The ATV, valued at over $12,000, was purchased for and
given to Jay to fulfill Jay’s Make-A-Wish request by
members of the McKenzie middle / high school Fellowship
of Christian Athletes during the McKenzie-West Carroll
high school football game held at McKenzie on September
1.
The vehicle was purchased after two years of
fund-raising initiatives by the group including dodge
ball tournaments, church fund drives, and donations in
honor and memory of loved ones.
During an interview with the McKenzie Banner following
the ATV presentation, McKenzie FCA volunteer Holly Rider
stated, “A lot of people in McKenzie have heard about
Jay and his condition and have been praying for him at
individual churches in town. To be able to respond to
his wish and needs in such a real way is important for
the community.” She continued, “All kids involved said
it was probably one of the best things they had ever
done. Giving blesses the giver.”
Smiling, Jay recalled, “I was so surprised when I saw
them driving the ATV onto the field. I couldn’t really
believe something like that was happening to me. It made
me so happy…I just couldn’t quit smiling.” He continued,
“I just want to say that I truly am thankful for what
everybody has done for me, and I appreciate their
prayers and concern for me and my family.”
Jay is also a dedicated football player, having played
his seventh and eight grade years for his beloved West
Carroll junior high School. This fall, Jay could be
spotted on the West Carroll sideline cheering on big
brother Daniel, a senior starting offensive and
defensive lineman for the War Eagles.
Early Warning
Jay’s father Tim, an employee with the town of Trenton
and minister at Cades Church of Christ, stated that
signs warning that something was wrong with his youngest
son began to manifest at the beginning of West Carroll
junior high fall football practice.
Sitting in the den of their new home located on
Cades-Concord road near Trenton, Tim said, “During fall
practice, Jay began having problems with shortness of
breath and told us that he didn’t feel well, but
continued to practice and play each game. Jay made 14
tackles against Huntingdon and none of us knew that he
was playing in that game with a cancer the size of a
cantaloupe in his chest.”
He continued, “The discovery of Jay’s tumor came when he
had x-rays taken after injuring his shoulder during a
football game. It was rough on all of us when we found
out (it was cancer). Your whole world changes when you
hear those words.”
The Bonfire
Tim stated that shortly after hearing the news, he and
Jay drove to a field and spent time alone building a
bonfire.
He recalled, “We lit that fire and sat down together and
went through every emotion you can imagine. We cried…we
prayed together…we talked about how life can be unfair.
It was just so hard to deal with something like this,
especially when it is happening to one of your own
children.” He continued, “But… I will tell you that
through all of this, I never got angry with God. It is
our faith in Him that has gotten us through, and will
continue to leads us in life.”
Game Face
Tim stated that after returning from the bon-fire, he
and Jay settled on a plan of action.
He said, “Jay and I made a commitment to each other to
fight this thing.”
As a symbol of their united resolve, Tim, Jay, Jay’s
uncle Chad Blount, cousins Zac and Logan Chrisman and
Benjamin Lawrence shaved their heads.
United and determined, the Rogers decided that rather
than be satisfied with merely fighting cancer, they,
with the Lord’s help, were going to beat it.
He added, “When all of this is finally over, Jay and I
are going to have another bonfire together. This time,
it won’t be a time for us to cry. It will be a time for
us to celebrate.”
The Long Road
Tim stated that the battle was tough from the onset.
He recalled, “When they began giving Jay chemotherapy at
St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital at Memphis, it was so
hard seeing him suffer. The breaking point for me came
one day when I walked all through the hospital trying to
find a certain soft drink that Jay had asked for and
couldn’t find a drink machine that sold it. I just
remember the weight of the whole situation overwhelmed
me, and I ended up on the floor, curled up and crying.”
He continued, “A few moments later, a man I’d never met
before knelt down on the floor beside me. He talked to
me and told me that he understood what I was going
through. He helped me regain the strength to get up and
keep fighting. His name is Bryan Morgan, and he is a
pilot for the National Guard in Missouri. I’ll tell you
this…if he ever needed my help for anything, I’d drop
what I was doing and drive to Missouri to help him
without blinking an eye. It’s people like him that reach
out and help you to hold on to hope. I’m grateful for
what he did for me, and for his friendship.”
Tim stated that he and his family are also extremely
grateful for the consistent and generous outpouring of
love and support from friends and family in the
surrounding community.
He added, “Tim’s brother Daniel has set up a Web site
for Jay, and we have received e-mails of encouragement
from people from all over the world. It’s touching
knowing so many folks are praying and pulling for Jay.”
To leave Jay a message, go to St. Jude’s Children’s
Hospital Web site and click on www.caringbridge.org/jayrogers.
Healing
After undergoing exhaustive bouts of radiation
treatment, Jay’s tumor was surgically removed.
Wendy, displaying post-surgical photographs of her son’s
excised tumor, stated, “The doctors that operated on Jay
told us that they got all of the cancer. CAT scans and
MRIs taken since the surgery have shown no trace of
reoccurance. We are so thankful.”
Wendy, who works as a secretary for the West Carroll
Primary School located in McLemoresville, stated that
she was especially thankful to her school family for
their support and concern.
“After experiencing the outpouring of love and kindness
from my fellow employees and administrators at West
Carroll Primary, I know that I will always want to work
there. They are special people, and I’m so grateful to
be able to call them my friends.”
Tim added, “When I changed jobs and started working for
the town of Trenton last November, I didn’t have any
vacation days-I didn’t know what I was going to do.
Several of my co-workers voluntarily gave up some of
their vacation days so that I could stay at St. Jude’s
with Jay. I can’t begin to express what that means to
me.” He continued, “I looked a few days ago just to see
how many vacation days I had left, and more days had
been added. It means so much when people are willing to
sacrifice like that. I appreciate what they’ve done so
much.”
A Brand New Day
As Jay prepares for a late-November bone marrow
transplant, things are definitely looking up.
Jay said, “I go in for the transplant in late November
and will probably have to spend a few months at St.
Jude’s. But, I’m looking forward to getting this over
and all of this behind me.”
Wendy added, “Jay has always been a trooper and doesn’t
complain. He enjoys giving the nurses at St. Jude’s a
hard time, and they pick at him, too.” Everyone there
has been so good to all of us.”
Tim added, “When Jay was checked in at St. Jude’s, he
was given the patient number of 22,998. The number of
young people that have been treated at St. Jude’s has
risen to over 24,000 this year. That lets you know that
we aren’t alone in our struggle. So many folks just like
us are involved in the same battle that we are.”
The Lesson
Tim stated that his son’s battle with cancer had taught
him an invaluable lesson.
With the glint of tears forming in his eyes, Tim said,
“To get through something like this, you have to build
up your faith in God. I have learned not to take my
family for granted. I tell my boys that I love them
every day and kiss them every night before they go to
bed.” He continued, “I learned something else,
too…little things don’t matter. After experiencing what
we have been through, I see the big picture and realize
what really matters and what doesn’t. Cancer has made my
family closer. We are in a great place, but we ask
everyone to keep praying for Jay and us. With God’s
blessing, we are going to beat this.”
What is Ewing Sarcoma?
Ewing Sarcoma are small, round cell tumors that manifest
in bone or soft tissues in basically any site of the
body but are most commonly found to develop in the arms,
legs, pelvis or chest wall.
More than 85 percent of Ewing Sarcoma tumors result in
the translocation between the eleventh and twenty-second
chromosomes. During a process known as “Fusion
Transcript”, a new piece of DNA material is created that
is not naturally found in the human body.
According to information derived from the St. Jude’s
Children’s Research Hospital Web site, Ewing Sarcoma
family tumors are the second most common type of bone
cancer in children and adolescents. Nearly 200 new cases
of this type of tumor are diagnosed in the United States
per year, with almost fifty percent of afflicted
patients being between the ages of 10 to 20 years.
Oddly, Ewing Sarcoma is very uncommon in people of
African American and Asian descent.
Ewing sarcoma family of tumors is not commonly
associated with other congenital diseases. Studies state
that no convincing evidence has been found to suggest
that this type of tumor is inherited. |
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