Living, breathing and loving the game of baseball, Loyola High School Varsity Baseball Player, Jake Peters awoke on December 15, 2014 never realizing he was going to be playing the game of his life the following day.
A little more than a year ago, Jake lost the use of his arms and legs due to a very rare disease. It turned his and his family’s lives upside down as the now 17-year-old went from living life as a normal high school student to someone struggling to move and breathe.
Jake suffers from Neuromyelitis Optica, a rare disease in which the autoimmune system attacks the myelin sheaths on the nerves of the spinal cord and optic nerve. The sudden onset of this disease in December 2014 rendered Jake a quadriplegic overnight.
Jake’s parents care for him in their home in Southern California. Deborah Wright-Peters, Jake’s stepmother, helps to take care of Jake when she is at home in Santa Clarita. Every few weeks, Deborah commutes from her home to Morgan Hill, where she operates her business at Sola Salon Studios as a hair stylist.
Brethren CrossFit of Morgan Hill is holding their 3rd annual CrossFit Throwdown at the Silver Creek Sportsplex in San Jose Sunday, June 26 and is donating a portion of the proceeds to help the Wright-Peters family through this trying time. “We all feel so helpless and want to help somehow, someway with Jake’s rehabilitation,” Brethren CrossFit owner Lee Pappas said.
A portion of the proceeds from the Brethren Throwdown will benefit Jake Peters. The rehabilitation fund will go toward providing Jake with necessary physical therapy. It will also aid in the purchase of medical supplies and any further rehabilitation equipment.
Every six months, Jake must undergo chemotherapy to suppress his immune system and prevent any further damage to his spinal cord and optic nerve.
Before his attack, Jake was a vibrant student athlete. His game is changed now as he continues to fight the disease, learning how to breathe and transition into a power chair.
Despite his ongoing ordeal, Jake finds humor in everyday life as a way to stay positive and enjoy himself. Jake just recently graduated from Loyola High School, in Southern California. This took an awe-inspiring amount of tenacity and strength for Jake to accomplish, but he was determined to reach this personal goal. Jake plans to take the next few months to contemplate his academic future at the collegiate level while looking forward to his next big event, which is his make-a-wish trip to the MLB All-Star game in San Diego next month, and then a short trip up north in August to watch his beloved Giants.
The Brethren CrossFit Throwdown fundraiser to help benefit Jake Peters will take place from 9 a.m. to 3:00p.m. Sunday, June 26th, at Silver Creek Sportsplex, 800 Embedded Way, San Jose. Anyone who cannot attend but wishes to donate can do so atgofundme.com/jakepeters. Visit Jake’s CaringBridge site to read his story caringbridge.org/visit/jakepeters
