Jay's Story

Jay Haraldson of Sun Prairie may have only been 5 years old when cancer entered his life, but he was quite certain of one thing: his tumor might visit, but it would not stay.

Not long after being diagnosed in 2001 with a soft-tissue cancer on his jaw known as rhabdomyosarcoma, Jay was waiting with his mother, Sharon, to have a CT scan when he noticed a little girl who had two noticeable lumps on her jaw.

"I have one bump and look, Mom, she has two bumps," Jay said rather matter-of-factly. "I just know they're going to get better by our birthdays."

Despite a recurrence of his disease in the spring of 2006 just before turning 11, Jay is now 12 and doing well following surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

While many would visit Jay during his frequent hospital stays at the American Family Children's Hospital, one rather tall fellow made quite an impression on Jay - UW Badgers head football coach Bret Bielema.

"I just walked into a big smile and it never left," Bielema says about his first visit to Jay's hospital room.

Since then, Jay and Bret have developed a special bond. For weeks, Jay kept a photo from Bret's visit next to his hospital bed. Bret, in turn, keeps a special place in his heart for Jay, asking the young Badger fan how his siblings are doing before the two pose for photos at Camp Randall Stadium.

"Jay loves life and loves the Badgers," Bielema says. "He just keeps moving forward."

Indeed, moving forward is something Jay does better than many around him. Only one hour after being infused with chemotherapy, Jay surprised his dad, Joel, by walking the entire 1.5-mile trip back from Camp Randall Stadium to the Children's Hospital following a football game in 2006.

There was also the time when his UW Health pediatric oncologist, Diane Puccetti, MD, asked Jay if he wanted some company while they both ran the 5K Suzy Favor Hamilton Run/Walk for Capital Candlelighters, an organization that provides support for childhood cancer patients and families.

"I thought it might be fun if we ran together, but he took off like a jackrabbit," Puccetti says. "I remember seeing him way ahead of me only to turn around and yell, 'Only a mile left!'"

Like many hospitalized children, Jay inspires so many through his resiliency and thoughtfulness.

"Kids don't know that they're supposed to feel bad," says Joel. "Jay tells me so many times, 'Dad, a lot of kids have it worse than I do.'"