Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.
In order to better inform all of our friends and family on how Jasper is doing, I (Paul's sister) have set up this site on behalf of his parents Paul and Jennifer Jawanda. For those of you who are not on Facebook, I will provide a summary of what has happened until now.
On November 25, 2020 Jasper (16 years old) went to his pediatrician complaining of fatigue and shortness of breath. His oxygen level was very low so he was transported to Pinehurst Hospital (where Paul works as an Infectious Disease physician) via ambulance. Testing revealed a mass in his heart. In order for him to be stable enough to be airlifted to Duke Children's Hospital he had to have fluid drained from around his heart.
The day before, on November 24, 2020, our mother, Pat Jawanda, underwent a successful kidney transplant in Michigan.
Regarding Jasper, further testing was done at Duke. On Tuesday December 1, 2020 Jasper had open heart surgery. The surgeons found a very large and complex tumor located in the right half of his heart (in the right atrium, tricuspid valve and right ventricle). They were not able to remove all of it, but they were able to remove some of the tumor. This allowed doctors to better evaluate the tumor cells under a microscope. This past Friday December 4, 2020 the results came back showing that he has Angiosarcoma of the heart. This type of cancerous tumor is both exceedingly rare as well as very aggressive.
Jasper is under the care of a team of excellent physicians at Duke. They are currently running more tests so that they can develop the right treatment plan for Jasper. His comfort and well-being are top priority.
Jasper has been a superstar throughout this entire process. Just one day after his surgery he was up walking in the halls of the Pediatric ICU. Not surprisingly, his staff has fallen in love with him. One nurse asked who his favorite football team is. He told her about his older cousin, Connor, who played on the UNC/Carolina football team. Not long after that the nurse gifted Jasper a beautiful and cozy Carolina blanket.
Paul and Jennifer remain the strong, supportive and loving parents they have always been. Their extended family and friends (here in the US and in other countries) pray for Jasper's well-being and for the whole family daily. Marian and Evan, Jennifer's parents, are at the Jawanda home caring for Josie and Jethro.
We want to help keep Jasper's spirits up by showering him with cards and love. It will mean so much to him to SEE how many people love him and are praying for him. Please let me know if you need their home address.
CaringBridge is a nonprofit social network dedicated to helping family and friends communicate with and support loved ones during a health journey. Learn more about CaringBridge.
