Only a few weeks earlier, the McCrae family had been going about their regular routines with their three children, unaware that something so serious was building beneath the surface. They were living normally, focused on work, school, and everyday parenting until everything shifted without warning.
This sudden change began when four-year-old Jamon started complaining about headaches. Jake McCrae, his dad, said the discomfort seemed mild at first but then, over the next few days, the pain ‘ramped up’ and ‘became pretty bad.’ The quick escalation worried his parents, pushing them to look for answers faster than they expected.
Doctors then performed a 15-hour surgery on Jamon, a procedure that ended up lasting almost three times longer than what they were initially told to expect. During the lengthy operation, surgeons worked carefully and were able to remove most of the tumor, giving the family a bit of hope in the middle of the chaos.
Jake explained: “Initially, they were thinking it was a benign one.”
That same day, Britney had a medical appointment of her own. She walked in expecting answers about her symptoms but instead walked out with her own cancer diagnosis, something she never imagined would happen while her son was already fighting for his life.
Doctors told Britney she had gestational trophoblastic neoplasia, a rare group of pregnancy-related conditions that, as the Cleveland Clinic explains, can ‘cause tumors to grow during a pregnancy instead of the placenta.’ Hearing this only added to the emotional weight already resting on the family’s shoulders.
Britney has now begun chemotherapy as part of her treatment plan. Meanwhile, Jamon underwent another major surgery on Monday (November 17), starting a long road of intensive care and recovery. Doctors are preparing him for six weeks of radiation followed by several months of chemotherapy, a process that will demand strength from the entire family.
According to Jake, the outlook for his son was ‘not fantastic,’ although he explained that things could improve if surgeons were able to successfully remove the remaining parts of the tumor. This possibility has been a source of cautious optimism during a difficult time.
A GoFundMe has since been created to support the family. The fundraiser aims to ‘help ease the financial burden of medical costs, travel, and time away from work’ so the parents can stay focused on caring for Britney and Jamon without the added stress of daily expenses piling up. The community has already started to rally behind them as word spreads.
The most recent update on the fundraiser explains that doctors are ‘carefully monitoring’ Jamon following his second surgery. The update also shared that he is dealing with several ‘post-operative complications,’ which is something the family is trying to manage day by day with support from medical staff.
Right now, Jamon is being fed through a tube, and part of his recovery includes learning to walk again while preparing for the next stages of his treatment program. All the while, Britney and Jake are balancing their own health challenges, caring for Jamon, and making sure their other two children are supported through the upheaval.
Jake shared that the ‘hardest part’ of this entire experience is the feeling of being ‘helpless,’ as though he ‘can’t do anything’ for both Britney and Jamon. That emotional strain has been one of the biggest burdens as he tries to stay strong for his family through every setback and small victory.
