Meet Jack
Meet Jack
Dream: To visit the Viking settlements in Newfoundland
Letter from a Dream Parent:
For the most part, Jack is a regular 16-year-old boy. He’s super into video games, books, and music—he just got a guitar! Jack and his friends have decided they really want to know a lot about survival in the wilderness-type stuff lately. He just really loves the idea of living in the wilderness, living off the land, and being self-sufficient. It’s been really interesting to see!
But there’s something unique about Jack: he has a rare genetic disorder called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. That means his connective tissue—his skin, his joints, and the walls of his blood vessels—aren’t as strong as other people’s. Jack was diagnosed when he was ten years old. But his symptoms really started flaring up when he hit puberty.
“There are so many things we can’t do, but having this one big thing that we get to do feels amazing.”
Picture: Jack at the top of a ski run in Vancouver.
Jack is “extra bendy.” He can dislocate his knees or ankles by going for a walk around the block. Fatigue and pain are also common—in fact, he’s had to miss months of school because of migraines. Jack has to regularly work on strengthening his joints, get regular exercise, and avoid the things that can damage his joints. Because joint tissue specifically, it's very, very fragile. Jack really likes to go for long walks but those can sometimes injure him.
Since it’s genetic, there’s no cure for Jack. For the rest of his life, he’ll have to be extra careful doing daily activities like walking up and down the stairs or grocery shopping. For the rest of his life, he’ll have to work on strengthening his joints. His 14-year-old brother, Eli, and I also have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. We’re all in it together. We’re figuring it out together. And these obstacles have never stopped Jack.
Last year when we were visiting Vancouver, he walked all the way up a ski run. It was summer, so there was no snow. He went up next to the ski lift. Holy moly, he was so accomplished when he reached the top! He's hoping for a similar experience on the other coast.
Jack’s Dream is to visit Newfoundland. He is really excited to see Gros Morne National Park and to climb another mountain! He is also very interested in the Viking settlements in Newfoundland since reading about them as a kid.
Because I share his disorder, it’s impossible to plan a road trip—I just can’t drive for long periods of time. That’s why Jack’s Dream is to fly to Newfoundland and take a cruise around the island. He’ll get to see the settlements and Gros Morne National Park, while also having a room accessible when he, his brother, or I need a break. It will really be a Dream Holiday that we can experience, together.
I'm so grateful that my kids will get this opportunity. It's not something we could have done otherwise. It's huge. There are so many things we can't do, but having this one big thing that we get to do feels amazing.
-Josy, Jack & Eli’s Mom.
Jack’s Dream Come True Update
We are so excited that Jack was finally able to visit the Maritimes with his family! Jack went on a 10-day cruise around Newfoundland and he had a blast!
“My trip to Newfoundland has been one of (if not the best) vacations I’ve ever taken,” Jack told us. “Friendly staff, massive amounts of amazing food, and some of the most beautiful land I’ve ever seen made the trip almost perfect. From the near-Martian landscape of the Tablelands of Gros Morne to the isolated village of Francois, Newfoundland has some of the greatest locations in Canada, though the Maritimes are often underappreciated, and very often forgotten altogether.”
This experience was made possible by our wonderful Dream Community - we can’t thank them enough for helping make Jack’s Dream Come True!
Pictured: Jack on his Dream cruise around the island of Newfoundland!
“I’d like to thank the Dream Factory Organization and Community for allowing my life to be changed like this,” Jack shared with us. “To let me see places and landscapes that very few people ever visit, and to generally broaden my horizons and let me have a deeper understanding of my country and the world around me.”