Jake Simpson was just 22 years old when he lost his life to Ewing sarcoma. In the face of unimaginable loss, his parents, Karen and Adrian, could have been forgiven for stepping away from the world around them.
Instead, they chose to create hope through purpose.
Each year, during what remains an incredibly difficult time for their family, Karen lovingly plans and orchestrates a special event in Jake’s memory, not only as a tribute to her much-loved son, but also to support other families facing a diagnosis of Ewing sarcoma.
This year marks ten years since the Simpson family lost Jake, and as Karen has often said, life will never be the same. Yet over the past decade, she and her family have continued to turn grief into action; initially raising funds for ANZSA and sarcoma research, together with the Cancer Council.
Karen sat down and put pen to paper to mark the very sombre occasion, putting together a simply beautiful piece, listing ten things she and her family missed about their precious Jake. In her own words:
Ten Things We Miss About Jake
Ten years on there are those morning I still lie in bed with my eyes closed, waiting. Are they coming? When is that door going to fling open with the screams of “Mummy they’re after me? The sound of laugher and running down the hall way – this is usually when I sing out, “someone is going to get hurt”, there it is, tears start to run, some one got it but this is also when my eyes open and I realise I am not in that era anymore.
Our home isn’t even the same one, this one is silent. All I have is my memories of three sons. Ten years of no cuddles or kisses, Jake’s smile that could brighten up a room, his laugh or should I say that giggle he would get when trying to tell a joke. OMG he was terrible at telling jokes he would start laughing before he told the punch line, and would get into such a giggle you would have to wait until he settled to find out the punch line.
I miss our Tim Tam afternoons, especially the chats we would have. I would do anything to hear his voice one more time, “Love Ya Mar”,
I even miss that look he would give me at football, the one only Jake could give me. Truly t I just miss Jake, the young man he was, the man he was to become, future husband and father.
Mainly I miss the boys growing old together, being beside each other through each other’s milestones. Standing beside each other on their wedding days, surrounding each other as they become fathers, celebrating their football wins or would there have been that chance of all three on the same field together.
Most of all I miss Jake’s passion for life, his outlook. Cancer never changed this, it may highlighted it a little. Jake loved life, “Live life Mar, cause life is worth living’, was his favourite saying.
Jake enjoyed time with his close friends he kept them close, loved playing football, loyal to his Club, he was proud to work at Coles and his forever job, Toowoomba Education.
His dreams were modest and reachable. He was determined to live life to the fullest, with his mates and his brothers at his side.
There isn’t a day that goes by that Jake isn’t in my thoughts, some days the heart is a little heavier but that’s the price we pay for love. “Family where life begins, love never ends”.
Love Ya Mar, Mother’s Day Breakfast
From the time we lost Jake, I wanted to do more for treatment and research into Sarcoma. Everywhere I looked, there wasn’t any Foundation supporting research into this deadly disease. There was Hannah’s Chance but it had just become an information site.
Since 2014 our family had been supporters of the Toowoomba Relay for Life, Jake had been the face of the Relay in 2014. Our team had raised over $70 thousand dollars over eight years for Cancer Council.
In 2021 as I was looking through the internet I came across CRBF, wow I knew I had to help for this Foundation as it was pulling at my heart, every word I read was matching our story.I sat down with a friend and pitched my idea to her, she agreed, I had to go for it, the concept and idea was perfect even the name. “Love ya Mar”, was Jakes words to me from the time he was 15.
I decided that he was too old to call me Mum or Mummy, so I became Mar. It just made sense to call a Mother’s Day Breakfast, Love ya Mar.Over the 4 years we have raised $20,000, hoping to top this year and reach our goal of $25,000.
I have enjoyed every breakfast, met some amazing people, and we have been supported by people that have come from our very first to our last one this year. Over the years we have had amazing speakers, telling their stories sharing their souls. Our breakfast is just not about raising funds its also spreading awareness about sarcoma.
CRBF honoured our son’s memory by naming, The Jake Simpson Memorial Ewing Sarcoma Research Fund. Our family were honoured that our little fundraiser in memory of our son was given this respect by CRBF.
This year after five years, we have decided it will be our last breakfast, not our last fundraiser. Its time to step it up, look around and see what else we could do. Mother’s Day Breakfast, has been everything I hoped for, I have been lucky to have great sponsors that have supported the breakfast from day one. A great group of friends that have helped me from wrapping up raffle prizes, to getting up early and setting up on the Saturday morning, so when doors open at 7am the room looks perfect. Most of all the support I have received from
“Family where life begins, love never ends”. – Karen Simpson, Mother of Jake
We are honoured to share that this year’s event sees the total of the Simpson family’s efforts through CRBF reaching a remarkable $25,000, and with characteristic generosity, the Simpson family has chosen to direct every dollar of these funds towards the Jake Simpson Memorial Ewing Sarcoma Research Fund, co-funded by the Cooper Rice-Brading Foundation, which began opening at sites nationally in 2024.
Jake’s legacy lives on through the love, strength and compassion of his family, and through the extraordinary difference they continue to make for future patients and families facing Ewing sarcoma.
Our deepest thanks to Karen, Adrian, Brodie and Connor, together with the generosity of the Toowoomba community. Their efforts, commitment and passion in directing much needed funds to the Inter Ewing trial over the past six years are truly remarkable.