Jacob, a 28-year-old man with terminal cancer, has traveled between Saint Peter’s University Hospital and the McCarrick Care Center since April. Having lost his parents years ago, the staff has become his extended family.
Just recently, through the efforts of the hospital’s oncology unit and McCarrick staff, Jacob was reconnected with his only sister, whom he hadn’t seen in years.
Facing a difficult diagnosis and hearing the physicians say that chemotherapy was no longer an option was devastating to Jake. He expressed his desire to continue to fight to beat the odds. Just several weeks ago, when asked what he wanted to do, all Jake said was that "he wanted to live."
One morning at McCarrick, Dr. Sushmita Shirvastav asked Jake what that meant to him. He expressed his desire to do something he had never done before – “like go to a Giants’ game" or just take a "ride in a sports car." That’s all the staff at McCarrick needed to hear.
Janet Patullo, nursing director at McCarrick, along with her brother, The Marty Lyons Foundation, Giants’ stadium staff, and many others moved heaven and earth to secure a dozen tickets in a suite for Jake and some family and friends. Janet also worked with a clinical team from McCarrick and Saint Peter’s including Drs. Mary Grace Zetkulic and Sushmita Srivastav, members of the Oncology Unit, and McCarrick, who traveled to Metlife Stadium to ensure Jake's safety as he went to see the Giants beat the Redskins.
Jake was delighted and smiled from ear to ear – surprised when he was greeted by a retired Giants player and dined in a box suite. Jake said it was a once in a lifetime experience and one he truly enjoyed.