Boy, 9, Celebrates ‘Last Christmas’ Early, World Joins In

PORTLAND, ME — Jacob Thompson won’t see Christmas, his favorite holiday. The 9-year-old from Maine was admitted to the hospital for what his parents say was the final time on Oct. 11 after a form of cancer — neuroblastoma — spread to his head. His doctors have said he could die any day, his parents wrote on a crowdfunding page.

What Jacob wants most of all is to celebrate Christmas. His parents plan to decorate his hospital room as a holiday wonderland, complete with fake snow and a lighted Christmas tree. And, of course, Santa Claus will visit Jacob.

As news stories about the early Christmas celebration have spread, so have the cards and well wishes from around the world. The first card showed a penguin, Jacob’s favorite animal, his mother Michelle Thompson Simard, told Good Housekeeping his motto is to “live like a penguin.’

In Jacob’s words, that means “be friendly, stand by each other, go the extra mile, jump into life and be cool,” his mother said.

“Jacob loves the holiday season,” she said, “and we want him to know that Christmas wishes come true and that there are good people who care all around the world.”

In fact, Thompson Simard said on her Facebook, actor Rob Lowe and cast and crew of “Code Black” sent a video to Jacob.

The family has set up GoFundMe fundraising page to help cover funeral expenses. Radiation isn’t working, and his hip is now “extremely peppered with tumors, which was described as looking like lace.”

The cost of funeral expenses shocked Thompson Simard and Jacob’s father, Roger Guay.

“Today Roger and I went to start making pre-arrangements for Jacob’s funeral, and were sticker shocked,” she wrote on the crowdfunding pages. “No one thinks about having to do this type of planning for their child and because of that we did not [and} do not have life insurance on him. We are asking for some assistance from family and friends to help support this.”

Those who want to send cards to Jacob should address them to:

Maine Medical
22 Bramhall Street
Room 653
Portland, ME 04102

Here is a picture of Jacob with the first of many cards he has received.

Photo via GoFundMe, used with permission