NORTHFIELD, Vt.—The Norwich University men's basketball team is pleased to announce that 10-year-old Jimmy Giroux, of Colchester, Vt. has become an official member of the team. Jimmy joins the Cadets through Team IMPACT, a non-profit organization out of Quincy, Mass., that focuses on improving the quality of life for children with life-threatening illnesses by partnering them with collegiate athletic teams.
Jimmy was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) at just eight months old. AML is an aggressive form of cancer that forms in the bone marrow. After his diagnosis, he was immediately hospitalized for the next four months for intensive therapy. The treatment was successful enough for Jimmy to have his first bone marrow transplant at Boston Children's Hospital in July, 2004.
None of Jimmy's immediate family members were bone marrow matches for Jimmy, so an international search was conducted, which ultimately found Jimmy a match in Germany.
The transplant was successful and put Jimmy into remission. His pediatric oncologist told his parents, Rich and Jen, that if Jimmy remained in remission for two years he'd be out of the danger zone.
"However, at a year and 10 months, he did relapse," said Jen. "It came back, and we had to go through the whole process again. They told us that this disease would turn our world inside out and upside down—and it has."
This time, Jimmy needed to be hospitalized again as he battled through two more rounds of chemotherapy, full-body radiation, and a second bone marrow transplant. Jimmy then faced an especially hard battle with graft-versus-host disease, which required Jimmy to be hospitalized in Boston for eight months. His chance of survival hovered around five percent.
The disease attacked his digestive system, which affected Jimmy's ability to eat for four months, and destroyed a large portion of his large intestine, which had to be surgically removed in an inventive surgery. In total, he had three intestinal surgeries, which now requires Jimmy to be on medication for the rest of his life.
Despite the odds, Jimmy prevailed—thanks in part to the strength and love of his parents, his grandmother, and his two brothers, Ricky and Joey, who all moved into a Best Western hotel room across the street from the hospital for the entire time Jimmy was hospitalized in Boston.
"For eight months, they left school, they left everything, for their little brother," said Jen of her older two sons.
And the feeling is mutual—when asked what fuels his love of basketball, Jimmy responded "my brothers" without hesitation.
Now a confident 10-year-old, Jimmy is full of life and a passion for basketball. Despite being half the size of his peers due to years of intense treatment, Jimmy's attitude is larger than life.
Said Jen, "He doesn't let his size get him down. He does just what the big boys do."
Jimmy met Norwich head coach Paul Booth when his oldest brother, Ricky, started playing AAU basketball with Booth's oldest son, Ryan. The two families spent a lot of time on the road together, and both sets of parents and sons have grown close. Each summer, Booth takes his son Kyle, Joey and Jimmy to a Vermont Lake Monsters game.
The Giroux boys have also attended Booth's R.I.S.E. Summer Camp, where Jimmy was awarded the Inspirational Award and where he formed a special bond with Norwich senior Tom McDonald (Groton, Mass.).
"Jimmy is such an inspiration for us all," said McDonald during an interview on Monday with Fox 44/ABC 22's Ross Lippman. "I've never met a kid with more heart in my entire life."
On Monday afternoon, the Norwich men's basketball team gathered in the Hall of Fame room to welcome their newest team member. Following a short speech from Booth, Jimmy signed his Letter of Intent, donned his new Norwich sweatshirt and hat, and officially became a Cadet.
Following the formal ceremony and interviews with local media, Jimmy made his way downstairs to the team locker room—where his new locker was waiting for him, sandwiched between the lockers of McDonald and freshman Grant Brown (Whitinsville, Mass.).
It was then time for the men's basketball team to tip-off against Great Northeast Athletic Conference foe Mount Ida College. Wearing a Norwich tee-shirt, Jimmy hit the floor with the team for warm ups, and surprised his new teammates with some slick ball-handling skills and a killer jumper from inside the paint. Once the game started, Jimmy took his place on the bench.
"We are so fortunate to have [Coach Booth] in our life and are thankful of organizations like Norwich who have just welcomed Jimmy," said Jen.
"We tell Jimmy that he's here today to help inspire others currently battling the disease themselves," concluded Jen.
Jimmy is certainly an inspiration to the Norwich men's basketball team. With Jimmy on the sidelines, the Cadets were able to hold off a late rally by Mount Ida to win their second GNAC game of the season, 62-43.
For more information about Team IMPACT, visit goteamimpact.org or follow them on Twitter, @goTeamIMPACT.
*Release provided courtesy of Norwich University Sports Information Dept.