ABOUT JR10 CORP.
Honoring a loved one
Jack was a boy with dark hair, soft
brown eyes and a memorable smile [on
the right in the picture]. Jack passed
away on July 19, 2012, at the age of 13,
surrounded by his family and close
friends in his house. Jack finished
his journey with a deep sense of personal accomplishment and heroic success.
Jack's valiant battle against cancer has
influenced many lives.
We are a group of family and friends of
Jack who passionately want to keep his
legacy alive through our clothing sales
and fundraising events. Leading the
charge is Jack's eldest brother --
Giovanni Reyna (Gio). Seventeen-year-
old, Giovanni currently resides in
Germany playing with Borussia
Dortmund. Giovanni looks at JR10 as a
symbol to embody Jack's happiness and
hope for the world to recognize the
children and teenagers that are living
with the diagnose of a primary brain
tumor.
- GRANT WAHL
"THE REYNAS' STORY OF LOSS
AND LEGACY."
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
As a young boy, Jack moved from one
place to
the next following his dad's
professional soccer
career. He got the
opportunity to experience life
in
Germany, Scotland, and England. Jack
was his
father's biggest fan due to the
fact that he would
run up and down the
sideline at practices and games
cheering
his dad on.
Jack and the Reyna family settled in
Bedford, NY,
approximately one hour
north of Manhattan. Jack's
childhood
home is somewhat like a monument to
him and his siblings, to sports, to art
and to the
warmth of a loving family that
welcomes a steady
stream of friends and relatives through an open door.
Jack and his teammates on New York Soccer Club
went on a trip to Amsterdam to train and play against
Ajax. The young, U11 team was fortunate to practice
with former Ajax professional and current youth academy
coach, Bryan Roy. On the tail end of the trip, Jack
and his team played against the U10 Ajax team
where they pulled out a 2-2 tie against the
talented Dutch players. Jack had a goal and assist.
Jack's team was playing for the New York State
Cup Championship in the final game. He began
complaining to his parents of a splitting headache
as they arrived at the field. "At first," says Jack's
mother, doctors "thought maybe it was meningitis
or Lyme disease or a sinus infection. But he has no
other symptoms. None". Later that day a neurologist
noticed an issue with Jack's peripheral vision in his
left eye, and then the doctor claimed to see a brain
tumor the size of a golf ball.
The disease never weakened Jack's
loving spirit
nor diminished his strong character. Following
nine months of chemotherapy, everyone celebrated
Jack's 12th birthday with fantastic news that his
MRI scans were clear. No more cancer. "The doctors
were amazed,' says Danielle. 'They said we've never
seen a kid bounce back from radiation or chemo
like this. He is such a fighter, he is always so
positive'".
Doctors were saying that Jack's cancer
was back.
Worst of all, his treatment would only slow down
the steady deterioration. During Jack's final seven
months, whenever he had the energy, he and his
family would attack his bucket list. But soon after,
he lost his ability to walk and speak. Regardless,
the visitors kept coming. "I don't know how we
did it," says Claudio, "but despite all the sadness
we had this really happy place. People wanted
to be here. It was loud, and he loved it. [We]
felt it was important for him to see that
everyone was still happy."
"Nobody should have to watch their
child, someone they love,
die," Danielle says. "It's horrible. You could tell he was fighting
it. We had him in the house, and there were almost always at
least 20 people around, sometimes more. He got good energy
from them. People also needed to see him. And from what
friends have said, they needed to see us. And they got strength
from us. Then, Jack passed. You're so numb at that point. You
don't want him to go, but you don't want him to be in pain
anymore."