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29 · Friday, May 28, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com Jack still making lemonade from lemons By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Brain surgery is right up there on the list -- the rest is details. With that mantra, the Yeilding family has watched one of its members, sevenyear-old Jack, go through a trio of brain surgeries this year, weeks of rehabilitation to relearn how to walk and talk and finally a homecoming after 67 days -- all in a bid to cure intractable epilepsy. Jack had part of his skull removed for six days, while doctors used technology to map his brain and track seizure activity. They then removed a portion of his brain in a bid to cure the severe form of epilepsy he has battled for several years. Jack is a brave young knight, who now proudly wears a scar across his head like a battle wound. His mom, Jodi Yeilding, says people show compassion about the scar but notes that, in comparison to suffering 50 seizures a day and undergoing three operations on his brain (one of them an emergency amid the scheduled surgeries), a bit of hair that has been lost is nothing. Jack has had only one hiccup since the surgery, and none of the routine seizures. In fact, after regaining his strength after the trauma of the surgery, Jack now has more energy than before when seizures were sapping his zest for life. And, while still taking 36 pills a day (medication he'll continue with for at least a couple of years), he is not taking the medication he did that stunted his growth -- he's clocked 5 cm in growth in the last couple of months. "We call him Jack the Beanstalk," laughed his mom, who said she counts every moment a blessing and the entire surgery ordeal as Jack's miracle. In a bid to help other children and their families achieve similar miracles, the family is planning the fourth annual Jack's Lemonade ERIC RIEHL / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER ENERGIZED: Oakville's Jack Yeilding, 7, (in front) and his brother Christopher, 4, will serve up lemonade and more -- like hot air balloon rides and a petting zoo complete with a kangaroo ­­ this Saturday. fundraiser for Sick Kids. But this year, it won't be at the Yeildings' Sandstone Drive home. Instead, for the first time, with Jack home and so far seizure-free (he had one believed to have been specifically triggered and not just naturally occurring), the fundraiser will be held at nearby Pine Glen Park on Third Line, just south of Dundas Street. "We didn't think we could ask our neighbours to host hot air balloons and a kangaroo," said Jodi. With hot air balloon rides and a petting zoo complete with donkeys and a kangaroo, those events are just some of the fun activities lined up. Jodi said all that's needed now for this year's event is sunshine -- and, of course, lemonade. The event will take place rain or shine. The lemonade is already accounted for -- it's sitting waiting in the Yeildings' home. Jodi said this is not the last challenge to be faced in life, or by Jack, but the family ­­ particularly her son ­­ has one of the best skill sets to deal with adversity that one could come by. "This year's lemonade stand will definitely be extra special, as it is also a welcome home party for Jack." With a strength that leaves others in awe, Jodi wipes back a tear, admitting it was upon bringing Jack home that she exhaled. "When we got back home, it was like we finally exhaled. What if this is it? What if everything that we've been through the past six years is over? What if we're done? What if Jack were just a kid?" said Jodi. Time will tell, she said. If one were to roll back the clock those six years, Jodi said she would not have believed the extreme measures required to help her son. The surgery was Jack's best hope for a cure. "The doctors are very encouraged," said Jodi, noting when they see Jack now run down the hall, they've commented that that's why they became doctors. "I hope they (the seizures) don't come back, but only time will tell. We proceed full steam ahead. You learn what's truly important in life. You don't sweat the small stuff. It puts life in perspective," said Jodi. "People ask what you want for birthdays or Christmas. I just want two healthy kids. That has not been a reality for me. Every day now is just such a blessing," said Jodi. As Jack and his younger brother, Christopher, 4, argue about who gets the ball and young Chris does his `noodling' about, the two compete to see who can pour the neatest glass of lemonade. Then, as the liquid spills in the latest junior science experiment gone awry, looks of astonishment cross their faces and then a gurgle of giggles erupts in reaction to the dreaded mishap. They are just two kids, aged four and seven, doing what kids aged four and seven do -- and having a ball doing it. Just that fact makes Yeilding smile. Christopher would not let Jack go to school without saying goodbye, slept in Jack's bed when Jack was away from home for the 67 days during his surgery and recovery and placed a toy on Jack's pillow all the time. Young Christopher, happy that his big brother is back home, has been heard to utter that he wants to become a doctor so he'll always be able to look after Jack's brain, said his mom. Since 2007, Jack was a frequent patient at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto because of the severe form of epilepsy he had. Since 2007, he has been on a mission to help the other children at SickKids by selling lemonade. 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