Jack Dolan’s family had been debating participating in a February cancer fundraising skate-a-thon headed by Boston Bruins legend Cam Neely for a while when they learned that Jack’s mother, Angie, had a rare form of cancer, small cell carcinoma. So, four days before Christmas, Jack sat down at his computer and composed an email:
“My name is Jack Dolan. I am nine years old and on February 21 I will be skating for my mom who is sick. I am trying to raise as much money as I can to help get rid of this illness and to help other people who have it.”
Jack sent his email to family and friends, but his plea has spread like wildfire, inspiring everyone one from his mother and father’s co-workers to complete strangers to pitch in and support Jack’s attempt to help his mom by strapping on his skates. Donations in his name have reached nearly $26,500.
“It literally started with one email,” said Jack’s father, John, 42. “Then every day we woke up? Bam, another couple thousand.”
The family had hoped to raise $2,500, but after just three days they had tripled their goal. Cam Neely, the event’s sponsor, took notice. “He kind of came out of nowhere, and each day for the longest time he was continuing to raise lots of money.” Neely said in a phone interview for the Boston Globe on Friday. Jack’s page has averaged about $5000 a day, putting him nearly $20,000 ahead of the next closest participant in the fundraiser and making his donations nearly a third of everything the event has raised.
Neely invited the fourth-grader to skate a lap between periods at a recent Bruins game, a dream for the young hockey fan.
For Jack’s mother, the results have been just the boost in spirits she needs. “My community has been UNBELIEVABLE and I continue to be overwhelmed each day by their generosity,” she wrote in an email to the Globe. “As much as this is a physical battle, it is equally a mental battle and their support is immeasurable.”
Which is all Jack wants: to support his mom.
Image courtesy of The Boston Globe.
