The Cooper family is participating in the Upstream 20km Challenge in honour of son and brother Jaxon, who passed away last year after battling brain cancer.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 11-year-old was diagnosed with a diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a rare peadiatric brain tumour, in 2014.
He went on to inspire the whole community as he ticked off a list of items on his bucket list.
The family’s involvement in the endurance walk next Saturday will raise funds for two particularly special charities.
Money raised for The Isabella and Marcus Fund will go towards DIPG research, while money raised for Very Special Kids will support families in regional areas as well as the hospice.
“He wanted a cure for DIPG,” mother Jodie Cooper said. “But he also didn’t want anyone else to have to go through what he had to go through.”
“He didn’t think it was fair there was such a horrible cancer out there that got kids. He understood that Isabella and Marcus were children who had lost their lives to DIPG and he wanted to help their families to find a cure.”
Jaxon’s parents and older brother Tyson will participate in the challenge, while brother Logan and sister Grace will support from the sidelines along with extended family.
“There were a couple of things Jaxon wanted to do with his bucket list that he hasn’t been able to tick off or that were continuous,” Ms Cooper said.
“We (as a family) decided to promise Jaxon we would finish all the stuff on his list for him. This is probably our first big step to doing that.”
To donate visit upstreamfoundation.org/groups/team-jaxon/members/
