Jason’s Story of Courage and Strength
The creation of Jason’s Friends Foundation was inspired by the life of Jason William Eades. Jason was eight years old when he was diagnosed with a brain stem tumor.
Immediately the family traveled from Wyoming to Denver where they found no hope for Jason. The Eades family found themselves in New York where they sought treatment for Jason. The pediatric neurosurgeon brought a glimmer of hope when he suggested that Jason was a good candidate for surgery. The family spent the following three months in New York while Jason underwent surgery and many radiation and chemotherapy treatments in the following weeks.
Jason turned nine in April of 1995 and along came good news. An MRI showed the tumor was gone. The family felt their prayers had been answered and they had experienced their own personal miracle.
In August, Jason began showing the same symptoms and the Eades family was devastated to learn that Jason’s tumor was back and bigger than before.
Jason fought a courageous battle for eleven months and was victorious in many ways against his cancer, as he recovered from various procedures and side effects.
Tragically, Jason passed away on November 11, 1995. Those touched by Jason’s life wanted to honor his memory in a way that would be meaningful and helpful to others. Thus, Jason’s Friends Foundation was established in 1996.
Jason Fought With Dignity And Strength And Always Showed More Concern For Others Than Himself.
Jason always wanted to be famous. While this is not exactly what his parents had planned for him, through the exceptional work of Jason’s Friends Foundation, Jason is still reaching out and helping others as he did in life.
Jason’s Friends Plaza
A memorial park called the Jason’s Friends Plaza was created at Park Elementary School on the corner of 9th and Center in Casper. A life size bronze of Jason, along with his dog Sage, was sculpted by local artist Chris Navarro and is a visible reminder of the plight of children with life-threatening illnesses and of a little boy’s impact on the community of Casper and on the state of Wyoming.
Jason’s Fight Inspired Great Things…
Created in 1996, the formation and philosophy of Jason’s Friends Foundation was inspired by the life of Rocky and Lisa Eades’ son Jason William Eades (April 7, 1986 – November 11, 1995).
Originally Jason’s Friends Foundation had little money and focused more on providing personal assistance for families, such as fixing meals and helping with shopping. It quickly became evident that what families needed most was financial assistance. Since then, the majority of help we give to families is financial support. To raise money to meet this critical need, the idea of our fundraising event, Bowl for Jason’s Friends, was born.
Since 1998, the annual Bowl for Jason’s Friends event is the only fundraiser organized by the foundation. The event is a fun-filled family affair for everyone in the community and around the state to help raise money for the families we support, whether as a bowler, a contributor to a bowler or as a sponsor.