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Brandon High School
Supports Make-A-Wish Mississippi
Melanie McMillan
Rankin County is a place where community
members are quick to pitch in to help those in need.
It’s one of the reasons so many call Rankin home,
where examples of neighbor helping neighbor
are plentiful. Whether you’re a “native” Rankin
Countian or a “transplant,” you’re family here.
Josh and Liza Forbes moved to Rankin
County from Louisiana eight years ago when
Josh accepted a position at Nissan. Stay-at-home
mom Liza stayed busy with their two boys and the
family settled into their new home and community.
They have since welcomed two more sons to the
family and are the proud parents of Jude, 10,
Jacob, 9, Jonah, 4, and Jesse 1. They enjoy camping,
traveling, and just spending time together.
Nothing could have prepared the happy family
for the news they would receive two years ago.
In March of 2018, the family spent their
spring break in Tennessee. While they were there,
the older boys got a cold but Jonah seemed fine.
When they returned home, Jonah began to run
fever. Liza assumed he had caught a cold from
his brothers and didn’t think much about it.
However, the fever continued for several days,
spiking every night. Seemingly unrelated, Jonah
had begun to bruise more than normal for a two
year old. Because he is very fair and red-haired,
not to mention a typical “rough and tumble” boy,
Josh and Liza weren’t overly concerned about the
bruises. The fever didn’t go away, however, so
they took Jonah to the pediatrician where he was
tested for the flu and strep, which were both
negative. It occurred to Liza that Jonah’s iron
levels might be low, causing the bruising, so she
requested a CBC, which turned out to be the
key to learning what was causing Jonah’s fever.
The blood test revealed that Jonah’s platelets
were extremely low, and the family was referred
to Batson cancer clinic. “During that 15 minute
ride to the hospital, I was on my phone googling
about low platelets, and ‘leukemia’ just kept coming
up,” Liza says. Within one hour of arriving at
Batson, Jonah was diagnosed with leukemia,
specifically acute lymphoblastic B cell leukemia.
He was admitted that day and had surgery the
following day to put in his chemo port.
“The first month was awful,” Liza shares.
“He couldn’t walk, and he was on steroids so he
was always hungry but would get sick from eating.”
Fast forward two years, and although they have
been through some very rough times, Jonah is in
remission. He goes to the clinic once a month for
check-ups, takes chemo at home every day, and
also gets a weekly and monthly dose of chemo.
This year, Brandon High School held its
annual Make-A-Wish pep rally in Jonah’s honor,
presenting the family with $2,000 for Jonah’s
wish. “Through the Make-A-Wish pep rally, we
are able to give back to deserving children in our
community who are going through unimaginable
challenges,” says BHS principal Bryan Marshall.
Teacher Rebecca Russell, organizer of the pep
rally says, “Make-A-Wish Mississippi is an
amazing organization that helps sick children
right in our own area. I love that our community
and all five Brandon schools work together to
support our Wish child. There’s no better joy
than seeing high school kids give their time and
money to help others.”
Participating in the Make-A-Wish pep rally
is very meaningful to the high school students as
well. “Make-A-Wish is a great opportunity for a
child to experience something magical,” says
student Mackenzie Brown. “I am so glad that
Jonah came to our pep rally to celebrate
Make-A-Wish with Brandon High School.”
Student Cadence Howell adds, “Make-A-Wish
gives children an amazing experience they might
not otherwise have.”
When a child goes through a serious illness,
every member of the family is affected. Parents
face worry and exhaustion, and siblings struggle
to understand what is happening and why they
may not have as much time with mom and dad.
It’s a difficult balancing act, and time spent
together having fun as a family becomes a
precious commodity.
Thanks to the outpouring of support from
the community and help from Make-A-Wish,
the Forbes family will soon enjoy a trip to Disney
World, where they will make memories to last a
lifetime, and their Rankin county “family”
couldn’t be happier.
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