Who is Jordan Schmidt?

Now, if you ask him, he would just say he’s a typical teenage boy who loves to hang out with his friends, talk about girls or play video games. Of course he may also throw out an occasional quote from Family Guy or reenact one of his infamous impressions of numerous celebrities. He would probably also tell you all about his favorite tv show, Big Bang Theory, talk to you about the most recent Bears game or tell you one of his many “Jordan Original” jokes. He would most definitely at some point give you 2 thumbs up because he thinks you are “BEAST”!

As, for all of us who know him, he is an inspiration. A fun loving, 14 year old boy with a heart of gold and the ability to put a smile on the face of anyone he comes into contact with. He lights up a room whenever he walks into it and as most of you know, upon meeting him, he instantly touches your heart in such a way that gives life new meaning. His attitude and outlook on life are contagious. You can’t help but be a happier and better person in his presence.

Jordan was born with Neurofibromatosis, which is a genetic disorder that disrupts cell growth in your nervous system, causing tumors to form on nerve tissue. The tumors are usually noncancerous (benign) and the disorder is usually mild. But effects of Neurofibromatosis can range from hearing loss to cardiovascular complications and, in a few cases, cancer.
Jordan was recently diagnosed with a type of cancer called Epithelioid Angiosarcoma, a type so rare that the doctors have only found 8 other related cases. They found a suspicious tumor on his lung during an examination for the Neurofibromatosis and took a biopsy in the days following finding that it was malignant. The surgery was very hard on Jordan as his airway has been compromised by a rather large, rapidly growing tumor in his neck. This has also been very hard on Jordan’s family as the steps towards a possible treatment have been baby steps. Since this type of cancer is so rare the doctors are very cautious on how to go about treating it, which is an agonizing wait on both Jordan and his family.