It’s uncommon for a 16-year-old high school student to be a distinguished visitor at an Air Force installation, but that’s exactly what happened to Jake Larner when he visited Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph for the first time Oct. 14.
A junior at Brandeis High School, Jake enjoyed a special day as the 560th Flying Training Squadron’s “Pilot for a Day,” a 22-year-old program that gives children with chronic illnesses an experience they’ll never forget.
Jake, who was diagnosed with a rare, fast-growing form of lymphoma just four months ago, welcomed the opportunity to spend the day with the “Chargin’ Cheetahs,” dining with them, donning their flight suit, touring the squadron, seeing three training aircraft and simulators up-close and checking out night-vision goggles at the 359th Aerospace and Operational Physiology Training Flight.
“I’ve always had an interest in planes, and my stepdad is ex-military, so the chance to do this was way too tempting to pass up,” he said. “It’s really cool to see how everything works.”
Jake’s battle with cancer began May 26, when he suffered from intense lower abdominal pains and was taken to the emergency room at the San Antonio Military Medical Center at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston by his mother, Kristie Davidson.
Appendicitis was ruled out in that first ER visit, but doctors advised that lymphoma was a possibility. The symptoms subsided, but Jacob returned less than a month later when the pain returned. A positron emission tomography scan revealed a tumor in his small intestine, leading to exploratory surgery and an eventual diagnosis of Burkitt lymphoma.
“It was very shocking, so unexpected,” Davidson said of the diagnosis. “It just came out of left field. He did not have a long period of symptoms.”
Following bowel resection surgery, Jake started chemotherapy treatments and spent most of July at SAMMC.
Davidson stayed at her son’s side during that ordeal.
“I work from home, so during that time I worked from his hospital room,” she said. “I was able to stay with him day and night.”
Davidson said she, Jake and her husband, Charlie Davidson, appreciate all the support they have received.
“We have a great network of support from family and friends,” she said. “All the doctors were super awesome and the nurses were excellent. They used a whole-health approach to his symptoms.”
Maj. Gabriel Repucci, 560th FTS Pilot for a Day coordinator, said it’s an honor for the squadron to offer the program to children who are battling serious diseases.
“It’s a great opportunity to bring joy into these kids’ lives,” he said. “We sometimes take being pilots for granted, so it’s nice to get back to our roots and recollect what it was like when we were young kids dreaming of flying airplanes.
“Pilot for a Day gives these kids a snapshot into the life of a pilot and other cool things that happen on base,” Repucci said.
Jake, whose condition is improving, said much of his battle is feeling positive.
“You can’t let cancer get the best of you,” he said. “You have to stay on the good side of cancer. Positivity is going to help you more than any drug would.”
Jake said cancer patients just want to feel normal, so he advised their loved ones to treat them that way.
“That’s why I really cherished when we weren’t at the hospital and I wasn’t doing chemo,” he said. “It definitely felt nice to be at home in my own bed and feel normal and be around my family.”