Jack Tweedy waited all year for the lacrosse season to begin.
“He keeps asking, ‘Dad, when do I see my lacrosse friends?’” said Gregg Tweedy, Jack’s father.
For Jack, the SU Men’s Lacrosse team is more than just a group of athletes. They are his supporters.
In 2007, doctors identified a two-inch tumor in Jack’s brain. Within the next 48 hours, Jack’s parents rushed him to Children’s Hospital Boston. Doctors successfully removed the tumor from his brain, but the tumor had already spread to his spine. Since then, he’s undergone 10 surgeries and several chemotherapy treatments.
Just as his condition grew stable, his father found out about the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, which pairs sick children with college sports teams. Last April, the men’s lacrosse team officially welcomed Jack to their team. Since then, Jack has been more than a familiar face to the players. He sits in the front row of every game and interacts with the team by giving them candy and cheering them on. But his favorite part is running onto the field after the game and spending time with the players in the locker room.
“The motivation of seeing these guys and wanting to be like them has helped him want to be physical, and with the desire comes the ability to try. Now he walks without a walker, he’s running,” Tweedy said.
The bond the Tweedy family has formed with the team brings happiness to both sides.
“He’s a breath of fresh air,” said Jovan Miller, SU lacrosse midfielder. “As long as he keeps coming, I’ll keep scoring. He’s like my good luck charm.”
