EAGLE, Idaho — In 2014, Jack Bevans of Eagle was struggling to read the print in books. He was just 7 years old.
His mom Tiffany Hranac took him to the doctor, and he went in for an MRI. That's when doctors discovered a large and rare brain tumor called craniopharyngioma. He had surgery two days later to remove it, and sadly his optic nerves were so damaged, and he lost most of his vision.
"In 2016, the chemotherapy and other treatments weren't working and his tumor was becoming very large again," Jack's mom told KTVB. "I called St. Jude on the advice of a Facebook group for families of individuals with this rare brain tumor. Jack and I flew to Memphis about a week later."
Jack was really fortunate to be accepted as a patient at St. Jude Children's Hospital.
"I think I was there for almost 6 months," said Jack Bevan.
Through all of his health challenges, the staff at St. Jude kept his spirits high. He still remembers all the top notch treatment and care he had.
"Oh gosh, I met a lot of people too many to count," said Bevan. "Yeah, they are really nice there."
By the end of 2016, Jack's tumor had shrunk so much it was barely visible on the MRI. Since then there has been no tumor growth, which is miraculous for such an aggressive tumor.
Jack is now 15-years-old, he is legally blind and uses a cane. He has some other challenges, but they don't hold him back. He goes to Eagle High School, and he's on the track team. Jack is living his best life!
"I'm doing really good," Jack told us. "I've gotten a lot stronger."
Jack's mom is so incredibly grateful for the care her son received in Memphis at St. Jude. Words can't truly describe it.
"We are forever grateful to St. Jude for saving our son and allowing him to grow up, when the path forward was looking pretty bleak," said Hranac. "Overall, Jack is an absolutely amazing young man, and he is loved by everyone he meets and his future is very bright!"
Jack has been a part of KTVB's St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway for years now. He is thrilled to see the Treasure Valley supporting St. Jude in such a meaningful way.
"I want to say thank you to all of you for donating, I think St. Jude is an amazing place for people who have cancer. You know, they have taken care of me and I'm just really grateful for what they do there."
Jack also has a message for the staff at St Jude, all these years later.
"I would say thank you very much for saving my life, thank you for everything."
If you bought a ticket for our 20222 St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway, you are part of the hospital's incredible mission to treat children with childhood cancer free of charge. This year, the tickets sold out in under four hours. This community raised 2.27 million dollars for St. Jude. On Sunday night, June 5th, KTVB announced the winner of the Dream Home in Star.
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