LifeList is a wish-granting program that offers hope and support to young adults who are currently receiving treatment for a life-threatening cancer diagnosis. This program provides positive experiences to focus on during treatment and an opportunity to connect with a community of young adult patients, survivors, and advocates who have experienced similar journeys.
If you are a young adult, ages 18-39, currently in treatment for cancer, you may qualify for the LifeList program.
LifeList applications are currently closed. Our next application cycle will open on September 18th at 10 am MST. To receive information about the LifeList program and updates about the next application cycle, please complete the interest form.
The LifeList program serves cancer patients who are between the ages of 18-39 who are currently receiving medical treatment to address an active cancer diagnosis.
The LifeList program is open to new applications on a quarterly basis. Any applications received during the time frame listed at the top of this page will be included in a random selection. On the close of application day, all applicants will receive an email letting them know if they have been selected to move forward in the process or not. All application cycles will open and close at 10 am MT.
Our LifeList participant wishes vary from travel to technology to experiences to home goods and much more. The maximum amount of spend for each LifeList is $1,500 with an average value of $2000. We have some incredible corporate partners who periodically donate to help us with wishes and may contribute to the overall value of a LifeList wish. Due to the unique nature of this program, the individuality of wishes and the unpredictable variance of donations, the total value may be greater and/or the total spend may be less for each participant.
LifeList program participants are an active part of the program for a total of 6 months from the date of acceptance. All LifeList wishes must be completed or ordered within those 6 months. Please be aware of your health status and the reality of being able to fulfill your requests within that time frame.
Dear Jack Foundation is unable to accept wish requests for VISA/AMEX/Amazon gift cards, cash, or financial assistance (rent, mortgage, home repairs, car payments, student loan payments, medical expense reimbursement, fertility treatments, credit card payments, etc).
While Dear Jack strives to make wishes come true, we reserve the right to deny a wish or request modifications. If Dear Jack has concerns about your wishes, we will communicate appropriately with you and work together to create the best experience for you.
"Before this, I wanted to promote at my job and be able to travel — now my focus is just getting through treatment and going back to normal."
"My husband and I have a 9-month old baby and were enjoying the new phase of parenthood. Cancer has really shaken my life overall. "
"I never thought about the possibility of getting cancer before, and I think most people my age don't either."
"I will finally have some time to feel normal again, even if only for a brief period."
"Living with the truth that I may always have cancer—while the world moves on like everything is normal—has been one of the hardest things to navigate."
"It's been tough dealing with so much loss in such a short amount of time when it felt like I had my life on track."
"Uncertainty and hurdles are a part of my daily life. I am learning to roll with the punches."
"I just want to put a smile on my kids’ faces before they have to be stronger than they should at their age."
"I am trying my best to do all of this with my head held high and a smile on my face, but it has been very hard to do that."
"I am attempting to pick up the pieces of the shattered life cancer has left me with."
"Cancer has stolen a very significant portion of my life as a mother that I can never get back."
"I want to show my son how strong and capable his mom is — and make memories we’ll both carry forever."
"This was a sudden event that was traumatic for me and for my family and friends."
"Colorectal cancer treatment usually doesn't result in people losing their hair, so I rarely look sick. People's expectations of what you can do vs the actual is hard."
"It was my dream to be a stay-at-home mom and homeschool my kids—but cancer took that away. I’m hoping this wish gives us something joyful to look forward to."
"Nothing I can write does justice to how hard this has been. Not being as strong a mom as my children deserve has probably been the most difficult part of this."
"I wish I could protect my son from all of this, but I know this is now our reality. Although it is now our reality, we are still trying our best to give him a beautiful childhood."
"Being able to experience a dream…would give me a sense of hope and a much-needed break from the constant reality of treatment."
"I feel like so much of my identity has become about being a cancer patient and not a young adult enjoying a happy and successful life."
"When I was a kid, I felt light, joyful, and alive in the water. I’d love to get back to that feeling, even just for a little while."
"Before the past year, I never struggled too much with anxious thoughts/panic, but I've had to learn to live with the weight my diagnosis has brought over the past few months."
"I lost my otherwise very healthy mom to cancer when I was in college and my diagnosis has made me realize I have a lot of unprocessed trauma and anxiety around recurrence and other cancers."
"I’ve spent the last year in ‘fight or flight’ mode, barely processing my own feelings, and finding this community means I'm not alone anymore. "
"For me, the most difficult part is not the dying but the not living long enough for my children."
"Trying to live a normal life while having cancer… your body changes, your priorities shift, and you feel like you’ve aged decades."
"At a time when most people my age are moving forward, I've had to shift into survival mode."
"Watching my friends’ lives move on while mine feels at a standstill has been one of the hardest parts."
"I always tell my family that I have cancer but I am not just “cancer.” I, and everyone else diagnosed with this terrible illness, are so much more than that."
"My determination and strength shine through, and together, I believe I can overcome this challenge with unwavering resolve."
"I have been blessed with supportive and helpful people in my life and friends who care but being a young adult I have no experience in life and due to having cancer it feels like my life is on hold till I’m better."
"I've had to focus on end-of-life planning and have planned my entire funeral. I've had to focus on the business of dying instead of the business of everyday living."
"I was diagnosed with cancer about 10 months after getting married and it has just broken my heart for my husband that our whole marriage has been about this experience and him taking care of me and full of much more sadness and grief than any first..."
"Being a stay at home mom, homeschooling my kids, and managing to live with cancer has been the most difficult task of my life."
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"One of the hardest things for me is being a single mom with only one income and then having to go on disability. My income went down and that put more stress on me to try to make ends meet."
"More than anything, I just want to be here for my kids for as long as possible. The weight of that hope is something I carry every single day."
"Sometimes, I get glimpses of my old self, of feeling healthy again, and then I’m back in the chair, letting a cocktail of drugs both heal and hurt me."
"I want to have a taste of normal life after all these months at the hospital and doctor’s offices."
"I just want time with them. To laugh, to relax, and to remember what it’s like to simply live."
"You quickly learn that with cancer, the only door open is the one that gets you to the other side of treatment."
"I feel like I’m watching my peers’ lives go by while cancer keeps me stuck in place."
"I want to get through chemo, surgery, and radiation knowing there’s something warm and relaxing waiting for me at the end."
"One of the most difficult things about having cancer has been the reality of having limited time and life expectancy."
"It would be an incredible opportunity to step outside of the daily challenges of treatment and celebrate life in a way that brings joy and hope."
"I want to eat yummy foods, ride lots of exhilarating rides, watch parades, & most importantly have lots of fun with my mom!"
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"One of the hardest things has been missing out on so many special events and holidays. I want my kids to have memories of me not in bed, but out enjoying life with them."
"My biggest dream was always to be a mom, so going through cancer after I got my dream just isn't fair to me."
"Sharri loves to dance and paint and especially loves her dog, Cooper, and princesses."
"We are mentally overwhelmed and sad, but we are hopeful for life and I really want to live."
"My treatment has been very challenging, and I am pretty nervous, to say the least."
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"I still need to work, try to be social with friends, live in an apartment building, and need to depend on friends for help—I can’t hide what I’m going through."
"I certainly didn't put ‘Get Diagnosed with Brain Cancer at 23’ on my bingo board"
"I have three younger sisters and amazing parents, and it breaks my heart to see them scared."
"Some things you'll just never be able to do and you have to find a way to let them go. "
"It is so difficult realizing how little time I have left... knowing all the experiences I am going to miss with my two daughters."
"The most difficult part of my cancer journey was losing my dad to cancer in 2022 between my first two cancer diagnoses."
