CLEVELAND — The game of life can be a game of chance. Sometimes life deals a bad hand, but as two young boys now bonded by shared experience have learned, you don't have to deal with the hand you're dealt alone—and that lesson came full circle under the Friday night lights as St. Ignatius took on Mentor at John Carroll University's Don Shula Stadium.
Jackson Janosek was very young when his family got the news.
"We were blindsided by it. It was just like an overnight change in our lives. And so obviously it was so scary and honestly, we didn't know if he was going to survive. He was in the PICU for several days, and then he was diagnosed with leukemia," said Jackson's mother, Molly Janosek. "He went through treatment for three-and-a-half years with chemo every day.
Many of the Janoseks' days were spent at Children's Hospital, and much of Jackson's time was spent with his younger brother, Rylan.
"Oh my gosh, they are so close. Jackson is a huge personality, and Rylan loves it. And he will just let Jackson do his thing, and he will sit there and watch," Molly said. "It was so helpful for Jackson in the long run, and they did like Play-Doh and Legos and all those things together. They were each other's best friends. Now they are still and now they're out here together."
Both boys play football for St. Ignatius, something that didn't always seem possible for Jackson. But after completing his treatment nearly 10 years ago, Jackson is cancer-free and even got a leukemia ribbon tattoo on his arm to honor being a survivor.
Now a senior, Jackson is a 6'3", 273-pound offensive lineman and one of the Wildcats' team captains. He lives his life with an undeniable fervor. It's the first way his mother described him.
"He is a huge presence. He has been through so much, and you would never know it. He is so positive in every aspect of his life. It's beautiful. He's just the love of my life and he is so strong because of what he's gone through, but you just would never know; he just exudes joy. I would say joy is the best way to describe him," Molly said.
The Janoseks know how important connection is during a difficult time, and years after Jackson's treatments, they were introduced to another family—the Taseffs.
Kate and Brandon Taseff have two little boys, 8-year-old Brooks and his older brother Elliott.
Like the Janoseks, one of the boys was also dealt a difficult hand.
"I had always wished I would have had someone to talk to. I knew no one who had been through leukemia. I didn't even know how to spell leukemia. So once we had a mutual friend who said that maybe you could talk to her; her name is Kate, and just maybe give her some guidelines, some things that were helpful to you. And so we met for coffee. We didn't know each other; we just randomly met, and we hit it off so well, and she's an amazing, amazing person," Molly said.
Kate's youngest son Brooks was undergoing treatment for leukemia at the time. Like Jackson and Rylan, Brooks was very close with his brother Elliott.
Elliott said watching his little brother in the hospital was hard for him, but he always made sure to have fun and be there for Brooks because there are so many things he loves about him.
"He's funny, smart, strong, athletic, fun, handsome, and I could go on and on," Elliott said.
The boys would play Nintendo together while Brooks went through treatment. And more recently, the Tasseffs would get advice from the Janoseks. And in their conversations, the shared love of football came up often.
Brooks plays quarterback, and Elliott is a receiver. Like Jackson, a football future was uncertain for Brooks while he was undergoing leukemia treatment—but just over a year ago, Brooks got to turn his sights away from hospitals and doctors and look ahead to the gridiron.
"[I was] really happy, kind of nervous, but I was just excited that I was done," Brooks said, thinking back to when he rang the bell to signal the end of his leukemia treatments and usher in his new title of survivor.
The Janoseks and Taseffs shared a journey and, together, shared their stories. And in that process, Jackson grew inspired by Brooks and the things they had in common.
"Jackson came home from practice this week and said, 'Hey, when are we going to get Brooks to a game? 'And I immediately texted Kate. She said, 'We'll be there on Friday. So I just wanted to see if we could make it a little more special for Brooks. And so I emailed Coach [Tom] Kaufman, and I just said, 'If there's a chance we could get on the field for a little bit, that would be great. If not, no big deal.' And he wrote back immediately in capital letters, 'LET'S GO BIG FOR BROOKS.' And he said, 'Bring him down for pregame. He and his brother, Elliott,'" Molly said. "They call my son Jano. So they said, ' Let's have him go out with Jano to the coin toss.' And I was beside myself. I'm crying. I called Kate, she's crying. We're so excited."
And that's what happened Friday night at Don Shula Stadium.
For the first time, Jackson and Brooks got to meet. A 10-year-old age gap didn't stop the boys from becoming good friends on Friday night.
"I had the same treatment as him, and just meeting someone very cool that's older than you that had it," Brooks said when asked what the best part of meeting Jackson was.
Before kickoff, Jackson came over to get Jackson and Elliott. He took the brothers out on the field and introduced them to his teammates. Coach Kaufman spoke to both of the boys, thanking them for coming. Staff and players alike gave the boys high fives, asked them about their love of football, and took them all around the field.
And then, standing beside Jackson, the two made their way out to midfield to help the Wildcats' captains in the coin toss. St. Ignatius won the toss, perhaps thanks to a little good luck provided by the Taseff boys.
In that moment, Jackson and Brooks were just two boys who overcame adversity and shared a love of football, on the field together for a special moment.
"It was incredible. You could see they were into it; they were happy being out there. If that was me, that would have been the coolest experience on Earth. I'm so glad to share it with somebody. You don't really get to share these connections with other people," Jackson said.
The Taseffs took their seats in the crowd and watched Jackson and the Wildcats dominate on the field, beating the Cardinals 51-7.
And while the victory was impressive, what happened on the field pregame was the standout moment of the night and served as proof that even in a game of chance, there can be beauty and positivity.
"We know what it takes. We know what kind of strength it takes. We know what kind of perseverance it takes, and we're some strong kids. We know we can get it done," Jackson said of his connection with Brooks.
As Jackson served as inspiration for a little boy 10-years younger than him, Brooks has plenty of wisdom himself he'd like to impart to other young kids going through hard times.
"To don't give up, and even the hardest times, every time you'll be able to make it," Brooks said.
