Attack Cancer Spotlight – Jake Marsh

Jake Marsh is a freshman lacrosse player at Roberts Wesleyan University in Rochester, New York. Just two months into the school year after his Fall Ball scrimmage, he went home to Glens Falls, New York to spend some time with his family. He could tell something was off, and after a night’s rest, was met by news from his parents that his father had received a cancer diagnosis.

 

He immediately wanted to translate everything he was feeling into making a difference, so he registered with Attack Cancer.

 

“I’ve known about HEADstrong for a bit because some of my teammates have done some fundraisers in the past,” he explained. “I wanted to do whatever I could to help in general.”

 

Being a freshman in college and living hours away from home is a challenge for most 18-year-olds, but Jake is now over four hours away from home while his father battles cancer. “I’ve never personally dealt with cancer on a close level,” he said. “My dad is my hero and the closest person I have, so that hit me hard. Off the field, I have focused more on academics because my dad told me before I left home over fall break, ‘I don’t want this to be a distraction for you. I don’t want this whole thing going on to distract you from your school and lifting and conditioning and practicing. I want you to go and keep doing what you’re doing. Your best way of helping me since I’m 4.5 hours away is to go do what you’re doing now, and do it to your best ability.’”

 

Fortunately, Jake has received plenty of support in Rochester, which has allowed him to follow through with his father’s wishes for him while at school.

 

“Before I posted my fundraiser, I only told a select handful of guys on the team, and they were right there for me,” Jake said. “They were there to talk, and a couple of them have gone through the same experience I have. They knew what to say. They knew what was going on. They would do routine check-ups and see how I was doing. The support out here has been overwhelming. It’s a lot more than I expected, especially because I’ve only been here for about three months, but the connections I’ve made with my team already and the family we’ve become while only being a freshman was pretty powerful.”

 

Jake is trying to stay in touch with his parents as much as possible, yet the hardest part is not actually being there at home. He is doing what he can and continuing to use his platform and Attack Cancer to share his story. Join Jake and Attack Cancer today HERE.