Jaclyn was adopted by the Northwestern Women's Lacrosse team years ago and was featured on HBO's Real Sports.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The newest member of the Ohio State men's lacrosse team found his way to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in late August. JJ Snider, a fourth grader, has been adopted by the Buckeye family through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, a non-profit, charitable organization formed in 2005 that improves the quality of life for children with pediatric brain tumors and their families.
JJ was diagnosed with medulloblastoma on July 12, 2006 at age 5 1/2. The tumor was successfully removed from his brain the following day and he has completed 31 radiation treatments and nine chemotherapy treatments since then.
On Aug. 25, JJ, his parents Jodi and Mike and four of his five siblings - Michael, Sarah, Mary and Joanna (oldest brother Rudy was at football practice) - came to Columbus to meet the lacrosse coaches and staff and take a tour of the team's facilities, including Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, the turf field inside Woody Hayes Athletic Center (where the kids all scored a touchdown!), the Buckeye football weight room, locker room, training room and more.
"The staff and I had an inspiring time meeting JJ and his wonderful family," Dave Dobbins, the Ohio State assistant coach who oversees community service, said. "It was very apparent in the few hours we spent with this brave young man he will have as big of an impact on our men as we will have on him. Our team members are very excited to meet JJ this fall and have already begun to show great support through his website. We are thrilled to welcome JJ and the Sniders into the Buckeye Lacrosse Family.
JJ and his family will meet the Buckeye players when they return to campus later this month. He is now a member of the Buckeye men's lacrosse family and will spend time with the team in the locker room, at practices and games, and more.
For more information on JJ, his family, and his story, or to leave a message in his guestbook, visit http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jjsnider.
For more on the Friends of Jaclyn (FOJ) Foundation, visit http://friendsofjaclyn.org/. FOJ has completed more than 230 adoptions in more than 20 different sports. More than 1,000 teams (major colleges, small colleges and high schools) are waiting to be matched with a child seeking additional love, support and friendship.
The Buckeye baseball team was involved with the FOJ in the spring, adopting Will O'Brien into their squad. The Ohio State softball team is a part of the program, too, and has adopted the sister of a child with brain tumors as part of the FOJ's Safe on the Sidelines Program for siblings.