Goodbye to Little Jake From Howell

It is a sad, sad time for family, friends, and the whole community of people who have shown such love for "Jake the Tank."

It broke my heart Sunday morning to receive a message from Mike Honig, Jake's dad, saying his precious little boy had passed away in his sleep after battling cancer since the age of 2.

For Mike, Janet (Jake's mom), and Gianna (Jake's 6-year old sister), I am offering up prayers for you to be surrounded by love through the heartbreak and devastation of such an unfair loss.

As a mom, I honestly don't know how any parent can get through something like this except through the faith that God and Heaven do exist.

If there is a silver lining, it might just be that Jake was a hero right up until he left. Because of the way he fought his battle, and because he is so well-loved by so many, the story we published last week on behalf of Jake and his family made it to the governor, who called Mike and expressed support and interest in trying to help other children suffering with medical problems. If you would like to continue to show your support for what the Honig's are proposing, CLICK HERE to read the original story that got the governor to make that call to the Honig family.

I am hoping that when they feel able to, Mike, Janet, and Gianna will share with us their own tribute to Jake so that we can share it with all of you and memorialize Jake the way his family would want him to be remembered.

This beautiful family has had such an impact on all of us and has shown what unconditional love and a willingness to share Jake with the world can do to spread love so far and wide. The Honig family has shown me just how supportive and generous people really are. I believe that everyone who was involved in Jake's story would have done even more if it meant being able to keep this beautiful boy here on planet Earth even longer.