Jake Weldon started running high fever, low white blood cell count and severe fatigue in March 2007.  After a muscle biopsy he was diagnosed with T-cell non Hodgkin’s lymphoma on July 27, 2007, which is not considered rare, but only 10 percent of people have the T-cell.  He was referred to Genesis Cancer Center in Hot Springs for treatment.  

His cancer didn’t respond to the chemotherapy treatments so his doctor scheduled him an appointment at Baylor University in Dallas to discuss the possibility of Stem Cell Transplant on Dec. 6, 2007.  His doctor decided that Stem Cell Transplant was his only option because he said Jake’s lymphoma was very bizarre and unusual.  After extensive testing of Jake’s vital organs to make sure he could withstand the procedure, a donor had to be found.  

His sister, Jennifer was tested but wasn’t a match.  There is only a 25 percent chance that a sibling will match and a parent’s odds are the same as a non-relative donor.  In some instances a patient can use his own stem cells, but since Jake’s cancer had been so resistant, it was decided that a non- relative donor would be the best.  There were 1500 possible matches found, so they took the one that was considered a perfect match.  All the family was told was that the donor was a 39-year-old male, with the same blood type that lived outside the United States. He received the stems cells on March 13 and is still in the hospital due to having graph versus host disease, which is a form of rejection to the process.  The doctor told Jake’s family it would just take time for everything to heal. Hopefully, everything will go well and he will be home very soon. 

From the time he had gotten sick until he knew he must have the Stem Cell Transplant, a good friend of his, Jonathan Garrett from Benton had talked with him several times by phone and felt he sounded really down and upset, so he wanted to do something special for him.  He knew that his pride and joy was his Road King Harley Davidson motorcycle and Jake had mentioned someday he wanted to get it painted.  Jonathan decided that was what he wanted to do for him, was to get his bike painted and give it to him for Christmas. Jonathan called Jake’s mother and told her that he had talked with a painter, Gary Bundy, from the Benton/Bryant area and he was going to donate his time to paint Jake’s bike and that Jonathan was going to furnish the paint.  He just wanted to do something to cheer him up and this was the only thing he could think would do it.  So with the help from Lucas Langley, Jennifer and Jay Cessor, which is Jake’s sister and brother-in-law, they where able to get the bike to the painter and back without Jake’s knowledge.  It took a little longer that anticipated, but it was completed around 8 p.m. Jan 1, 2008. 

They got the bike home about 9 p.m. that night and it was an unbelievable surprise for Jake.  He couldn’t believe his eyes, it was painted emerald green with black accent and skulls, just like he wanted.  This was a very wonderful gift given by a true friend, Jonathan Garrett, and a painter, Gary Bundy, that didn’t know Jake, but was touched by his fight against cancer.