OLATHE, Kan. — At the beginning of March, we shared the story of a Blue Valley West High School swimmer battling cancer.
At the time, Jack Punswick and his family opened up about the challenges they were facing.
"Nothing ever prepares any parent to hear the words, ‘Your child has cancer,’” said Jack's mom, Karen Punswick.
The Punswick family also shared their hopes for better days ahead.
“If God put me in this situation, He’s going to take me out of it,” Jack said on March 1, the day he was honored by Sporting KC.
A month later, we caught up with the Punswick family again. This time, Jack was getting ready to celebrate prom — another big milestone.
Jack’s senior year didn’t start the way he had planned.
“A lot of it was kind of taken away from me due to my cancer diagnosis,” he said.
During homecoming, he was dealing with the side effects of treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“He was getting ready — he already had his suit and tie on — and he goes, ‘Dad, you have to shave my head. It’s falling out all over my suit,’” recalled Eric, Jack’s dad.
That night, Jack’s 11-year-old brother, Luke, also shaved his head.
“I would sometimes cry myself to sleep. I was just nervous and scared,” Luke said.
But as Karen shared, “There’s no Easter without the cross.”
Beyond prom, the Punswick family had even more to celebrate on Saturday.
Jack was declared cancer-free on Tuesday.
“I didn’t really think much of prom, but this is like the final dance. That’s going to be pretty fun,” Jack said ahead of attending the dance with his girlfriend.
The good news left Jack feeling "absolutely amazing" and "like a weight lifted off your body."
From homecoming to prom, his mom said Saturday was a full circle moment.
“Homecoming was a very emotional dance, and so is prom. And it’s not about the dance,” his mom said.
Jack has a surgery scheduled for Good Friday — a powerful symbol of the end of this journey, according to his mom.
After that, he’s looking forward to getting back in the pool with his family and friends in the stands cheering him on, like they always have.
In the coming months, he will be honored with the National High School Spirit of Sport Award by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).
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KSHB 41 reporter Fe Silva covers education stories involving K-12. Share your story idea with Fe.
