Base hosts young amputee

  • Published
  • By SrA. Alexander Brown
  • 439th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE, Mass. --  Active, curious, energetic, boisterous, and friendly; these all describe an average 11-year-old but this year's Pilot For a Day, Jacob Van Schaick has a few more adjectives that make him unique: compassionate, dedicated and motivated .He's also an amputee.

Jacob his mom, Michelle Van Schaick, and friends, Luke Janke and Myles Neeley, were all treated to the best that Westover ARB had to offer, July 13. They "flew" C-5's over Hawaii, Washington D.C. and Alaska in the simulator, toured a real C-5 B, wore parts of an explosive ordinance disposal suite, operated a water cannon from inside a fire truck, and sample Westover's award-winning food at the Westover club during the UTA troop feeding.

Doctors learned that Jacob's right leg wasn't growing as fast as the other as they reviewed x-rays of him in the womb. After birth he measured 21 inches on the left side and 18.5 inches on the right. The doctors had never seen anything like this before; they proceeded to put the Schaick family in contact with the Shriners Hospitals for Children.
After weighing multiple medical options Jacob's family chose to have his foot amputated.
This ended up being the best decision they could have made. Jacob was walking within weeks after the surgery. Even with the lack of his left foot he began to pursue multiple sports. During this year's season playing for his school baseball team, Jacob hit his first out of the park home run.

He wants to keep hitting home runs.

When Jacob was asked what he wanted to do when he grew up, he answered without hesitation "I want to be in the Major League Baseball league."

These are just a few reasons why Jacob was picked to be the fifth Pilot For a Day at Westover.

"I had two favorite parts," explained Jacob. "Going in the simulator and coming here to the fire department."

Throughout his busy day, he quietly listened to the wealth of information that he was being presented from reservists and always seemed to have a smile on his face.

"I wish I could have brought all my friends but the paperwork said I could only bring two," stated Jacob.