13-Year-Old Boy Founds His Own Nonprofit Teaching Children With Cancer How To Fish

May 08, 2019 by apost team

Approximately 15,780 children receive a cancer diagnosis on an annual basis. These children often have to give up several areas of their life including hobbies, schooling, and friendships. One little boy named Jake Klopfenstein has taken the initiative to restore hope in many of these pediatric patients through one of his favorite pastimes: fishing!

Jake originally founded his nonprofit organization called Angling for Relief after seeing one of his childhood friends battle Ewing's sarcoma. He expressed to his mom, Toni, how sad it was that his friend could not even enjoy the simple things in life such as fishing.

The friend of Jake's who was dealing with Ewing's had to take time off from school so that he could stay in hospitals awaiting various treatments. This motivated Jake to find a way that patients like his friend could enjoy a sport that personally brought him enjoyment and peace.

He figured that fishing would be the perfect hobby for these patients to engage in due to it involving a level of patience that is needed during tedious hospital stays. His mom claims that being surrounded by nature also provides the patients with a distraction from what they're dealing with in their everyday lives.

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For the kids who are physically able to go on fishing expeditions, Jake and his mom take them out on the water for day trips. However, Jake and Toni ensure that patients who are unable to make these trips are not left out. Angling for Relief donates fishing poles to various pediatric cancer wards, and then come in for dry fishing lessons.

These dry fishing lessons include the patients learning how to cast a rod and other common fishing practices from their hospital beds. This way, even those who are undergoing the most debilitating interventions can still engage in the fun activities to an extent.

Angling for Relief is continuously gifting these patients with a temporary distraction from their diagnoses, which provides them with a sense of peace and hope during their treatment protocols.

The nonprofit has already helped hundreds of patients in the US, and they continue to fulfill the nonprofit's mission by giving the gift of fishing to many more. Knowing that others are routing for you during difficult times like these can provide you with a level of contentment that is hard to find when you are facing such an unfortunate prognosis.

If you know someone who could use some inspiration to move forward during a hard time, give them the opportunity to read about Jake and Toni's altruistic cause.