By ALISHA MCDARRIS

Record Herald Writer

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TIPP CITY - Parents hope that their child will never be diagnosed with an illness as frightening as Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, but for one Tipp City family, the support and love of an entire community has given them courage and hope.

Tina Jenks was horrified when she received the news in October that her 17-year-old, Jimmy Jenks, a senior at Tippecanoe High School, had more than bronchitis. The coughing he had been experiencing for days was not the result of a virus, but an abnormal mass in his lung and several cancerous masses in his lymph nodes.

Jimmy was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, which has no specific known cause and is fortunately much less dangerous than its cousin Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphom. He is getting ready to start his last of four rounds of chemotherapy which will be followed by several weeks of radiation.

Tina and Jimmy are looking forward to March when the treatments will be completed and Jimmy will be able to find out if he is cancer free. Jimmy’s goal is to return to school to finish the last few months of his senior year.

“We’re hopeful. There isn’t any other option,” Tina expressed.

Their hope is well founded: Hodgkin’s Lymphoma has a 90 percent cure rate. But that’s not why Tina is certain that things will all work out.

“God is our rock. I couldn’t be getting through this without my faith,” Tina said.

Tina and Jimmy are receiving plenty of support, prayer, and love from the community as well. So much so that Tina could hardly believe it since she and Jimmy have only been living in Tipp City for six years.

“We’ve been inundated with support from friends and family. We feel so supported and loved. It’s given me so much hope. It’s been literally every day that someone has done something for us. People have helped more than they’ll ever understand,” Tina said.

They’ve received meals from Tina’s singles’ group at Ginghamsburg, monetary donations from anonymous donors, gift cards and groceries, even packages left on their front porch from people wanting to help.

“It’s been unbelievable,” she declared.

Jimmy even gets his own private tutor for school. Because his white blood count is so low and it’s risky for him to spend much time with a crowd of people who could easily make him sick, Patricia Cahill, a teacher at Tippecanoe High School offered to come to him. She spends her evenings ensuring that Jimmy will be able to graduate this spring.

“She’s hands down the best teacher I have ever known and she’s one of Jimmy’s favorites,” Tina complimented.

Despite all of his trips back and forth to the hospital and having to remain indoors more often than not, Jimmy continues to be his humorous, light-hearted self.

“Jimmy is amazing. He hasn’t complained. He’s just himself. He’s cracking jokes during procedures and he’s been my hero through this whole thing,” Tina said.

She admits that when she feels incredibly helpless, all she has to do is look at her son and she feels reassured.

The community will have another chance to offer their help and support to the Jenks family next Saturday when the Dayton Gems hockey team will host a “Jam It for Jimmy” event during their game at Hara Arena. For every ticket sold, the Jenks will receive $1 to help with expenses like gas, bills, medical treatments, and food since Jimmy’s ravenous appetite, doubled due to treatment, has also doubled the Jenks’ grocery bill.

In addition to money per ticket, the Gems have pledged to donate $2,000 to the Jenks if they sell out every seat in the house. There will also be youth jersey giveaways to the first 1,000 kids 12 and under and free cupcakes to the first 500 fans in celebration of Blade’s birthday, the team mascot. Jimmy will even get to throw out the first puck.

Tina has already sold over 200 tickets and the employees at the Hara Arena box office are stunned at the number of calls they have received for tickets.

“It makes me feel humbled. I can’t even wrap my brain around it,” Tina said. She didn’t even know such a huge fundraising event was possible until a friend who made it happen told her what was going on.

Jimmy’s game will be at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28. Tickets are $8 until Jan. 26, after which they will be $10-14. To reserve tickets and offer your support to the Jenks, call the box office at 275-7777 and ask for Shawn.