Chase

As if being a teenager is not hard enough, 13-year-old Chase Jackson found out it could get worse. Diagnosed with leukemia in 1998, Chase endured chemotherapy and a severe infection that threatened his survival. Despite defensive measures, Chase went into septic shock, which required him to use up to16 units of blood a day to supply his vital organs with oxygen. Chase's family and friends organized a blood drive and spread the word of the need for blood by hanging flyers and making television and radio pleas. The community responded, with donors giving in honor of Chase as far away as Reno.

Today, Chase is proof of the power of hope and determination. When asked about his experience, Chase said "It didn't kill me, and I'm that much stronger. I have overcome the odds." When Chase is not in school as a freshman in Peteluma, he acts as a spokesman for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, giving speeches twice a month and helping in other related events. Chase's courage and activism helps others who now are going through what he has survived. "Whatever odds I faced I have overcome, and I'm going to keep doing it."