HOUSTON – This is the story of what you can't see, and how a trip to football's biggest game is helping a family in Missouri City believe in the impossible.
When you look at the Jacques family, you don't see pain. When you watch 13-year-old Gabe Jacques throw a football, you can't imagine the hospital trips and low blood-cell counts.
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"I was kind of scared at first because I didn't know what was wrong with me," Gabe said from his home in the Sienna Plantation neighborhood.
It started when Gabe was 12. He was in sixth grade and was always a healthy, strong athlete. Then came the bruises, fevers and worries.
"Two or three weeks went by and he continued to have more bruises," said Jake Jacques, Gabe's dad. "He was lethargic. During practices he would get winded."
Jake Jacques soon became panicked after a trip to Texas Children's Hospital showed Gabe's blood-cell counts were severely low. The first thought was he had leukemia. A week later, doctors diagnosed him with aplastic anemia -- a potentially life-threatening condition that stops the body from producing blood cells and leaves patients with a high risk of infection.
Gabe could no longer play football, attend school or be around friends because of the fear of infection. He was in and out of the hospital for weeks at a time getting blood transfusions, then he was hit with the severe side effects from his treatment.
"I think the toughest part was the meds and the way they affected me," Gabe said.
"I would have to carry him from upstairs to downstairs because he was so bloated and in so much pain," Jake Jacques said. "He couldn't walk."
During one tough trip inside Texas Children's Hospital, a representative from the Make-A-Wish foundation in Houston asked Gabe if had anything he really wanted to do. Make-A-Wish is an organization that grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.
Gabe is a big football fan. He knew what he wanted as his wish.
"I kind of wanted to go to the Super Bowl," Gabe said.
"After all he's been through, the opportunity Make-A-Wish is offering him is just great," said Jake Jacques.
"If you have a child who is a sports fan, a football fan, this is the epitome of a wish," said Julie Baldwin, wish coordinator in Houston for Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana. "It doesn't get any better than this."
But that's not the end of this story.
Gabe was too sick to go to last year's Super Bowl in Arlington. He's getting better every day and doctors hope the worst is behind him. However, his brother, Jacob, is fighting his own medical battle. Jacob is 14, but was born with a paralyzed diaphragm that requires him to use breathing equipment. He also suffers from an undiagnosed neuromuscular disease that makes it difficult to walk. Jacob also loves football and is a fantasy football fanatic.
Gabe, Jacob and Jake Jacques will all be making the trip to the Super Bowl.
"It'll be great just to see Gabriel and Jacob enjoying themselves," Jake Jacques said. "Both of my children have been through so much. They both love football and love sports. I think the Super Bowl is going to be an amazing thing to see."
Now, one family goes on a trip of a lifetime. Sometimes it's what you can't see that shows the heart of a family. Sometimes it's doing what was once impossible together that shows dreams do come true.