This is a hard watch, but damn if it doesn't put things into perspective for you. If I can have even a fraction of the mental strength that Jonathan has then I'll consider myself very lucky
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I watched this last night on Sportscentre. Feel so bad for the kid. Me and my wife are expecting our first child in just over a week, so it really hit home.
I can't imagine what it's like for him to fight through that pain. Also feel terrible for his mom to do all that with him every two days and see the pain on his face like that all the time. He's a brave little man.
Jonathan shows the strength and resolve many could only imagine. That video was extremely moving and I applaud him for showing such great courage to get his voice and others like him heard. There is no way you can watch that without getting emotional, without feeling sorry for him but his perspective towards life is truly inspiring when you consider what he's up against. Parts of it are definitely hard to watch but he holds no shame and no fear for what he has and has turned something very cruel and negative into a motivation for something positive, to give EB a voice, to raise for its awareness.
Thank you for telling your story and a shout-out for an outstanding and proud mother, GoSensGo Jonathan, they are my team in the east this year and like you have shown a no-quit attitude.
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What a motivational and special person. Wise beyond his years and his strength shows in the way he talks. This must make the sens amazing run to the playoffs so much sweeter for him. Go Johnathon Go!
Wow, that broke me down like a baby. No kid deserves that, and he's fighting something that would crumple the strongest of men to tears, with the optimism and strength of someone with a perfect life. Everyone grown adult whining about petty setbacks in life, could learn a ton from Jonathan. And kudos to the Sens, incredible amount of respect from me.
Thanks for sharing.
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Very difficult to take in but worth watching. What a great job TSN did putting this together and not holding back on making sure you see what Jonathan goes through. This is another great example of why I am proud to say the NHL is an amazing league with outstanding stars and the best fans on the planet.
Jonathan is a very amazing and inspiring person, his outlook on life really made me think how insignificant my complaints and problems are. My thoughts go out to him and others who suffer from this disease.
Onions. Ocean of onions. What a video. I could tell it was going to be significant by the reactions in here but it struck me even harder than I expected. The sheer suffering that some people undergo on a regular basis is simply staggering, and you wish for nothing more than some way to alleviate this kid's pain.
The strength and courage Jonathan has to look past what debilitates him, is admirable and inspiring. What he lacks in his physical limitations, he makes up for in spades with his mindset and strength. To showcase how vulnerable he is, yet show his ability to get through it and thrive to the best of his ability is a skill that anybody in this world could look up to.
That video had me welling up like crazy, especially the parts with his mom. Having a new son, I'm so thankful for his health. I can only imagine the pain his mother has to go through every day to help him.
Good job TSN, the Senators, and all the parties involved on this video.
“Mom, we did it.”
With those words, Jonathan Pitre hugged his mother, Tina Boileau, and shared his joy and relief at learning the news late Tuesday afternoon that his stem cell transplant has worked.
Blood tests revealed that all of the new white cells in his bloodstream are from his mother’s donated stem cells, and contain her two telltale X chromosomes. It means his mother’s donated stem cells have taken root in his bone marrow and have started to produce new blood cells.
“This is the best news ever, the best Mother’s Day gift,” said an elated Boileau, who has remained at her son’s side throughout his marathon treatment.
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Pitre has been in Minnesota since mid-February to undergo his second attempt at the experimental treatment pioneered by doctors at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital. His first transplant ended in disappointment on Thanksgiving Day last year, but the family opted to undergo a second transplant despite its risks and hardships.
This time, wonderfully, it worked.
“I just got official results: Jon is 100 per cent donor!” Boileau said in a text message late Tuesday afternoon.
Offered to children and adolescents with severe EB as part of a clinical trial, the stem cell transplant is physically demanding and comes with a host of life-threatening side effects. One of those potential side effects is graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), a complication in which the new white blood cells turn on the patient’s tissues and attack them as “foreign.”
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A Grade 11 student from Russell, Pitre suffers from a rare form of EB that complicates how he moves, eats, bathes and sleeps. Many of those with severe EB die from an aggressive form of skin cancer in their 20s.
The stem cell transplant holds the potential to dramatically improve Pitre’s life and produce tougher skin that blisters less and heals more readily.
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The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true. Go Flames Go!
TSN: The Butterfly Child
