You might have seen him on TV, social media, or possibly at the local pool. His name is Jake Vella and, if you’ve not heard his story read through. He is possibly the most inspirational person you’ll ever meet.
Jake presents himself as a loveable, determined, and energetic child, sporting his Go&Fun branded scooter like the true icon he is. He has a great passion for sports, something that he picked up from his dad. Jake used to run marathons, play football and even participate in triathlons. It's almost impossible to believe what he managed to accomplish in his tender years when faced with so many challenges.
Jake was a typical boy for his age, his mum describes his first years as a very energetic boy.
“He would drive me crazy running around the house! But it’s to be expected from a 2-3-year-old.” his mum repeated. “We were an average family. There were no warning signs, and nothing could have prepared us for what to come.” Jake’s mum explained.
As the years went by Jake’s mum started noticing him gaining some weight. At first, the whole family thought Jake was simply eating a bit too much, and let’s face it, in Malta we do enjoy a more generous portion. But, Jake’s mum wasn’t convinced, she could feel it deep in her heart that something was wrong. When Jake was only 6 years old, after numerous visits to doctors and specialists he was diagnosed with “Rohhad Net Syndrome”.
If the name of this condition doesn’t sound familiar, it’s because there are only 100 known cases in the world. As Jake’s mum continued to explain;
“The condition itself is a psychological one however, it mostly manifests physically. Essentially, the brain misfires information resulting in all sorts of problems with metabolism, sugar processing, and more.”
As more years passed by, weight gain was becoming a real problem for the family. With Malta being such a small island, very few stores stocked clothes that would fit Jake and that was only the tip of the iceberg. As Jake gained more and more weight his diet needed constant updating and a short stroll down the promenade felt like a marathon. It was obvious at this point, Jake would not be able to participate as well with his classmates and friends. It was clear that Jake could very easily get left alone to fight this battle. But, Jake refused to accept that reality. He wants to be independent, he wants to grow up enjoying life with those he loves. He wishes to be treated as equal to everyone else.
At this point is where Jake and Sergio (CEO of Go&Fun International ltd.) met. Sergio could not believe what this boy and his family had to go through. Having children himself, Sergio simply refused to accept the situation. Sergio contacted other local brands, and even pitched in with personal funds, providing Jake with a tailor-made motorised scooter, and helping the family with other needs.
As to when we thought we heard it all, Jake promptly interrupted us and explained why his story should be written as one of inspiration and not of sorrow. In fact, Jake has accomplished much more than the average child of his age. In just the past few years he; Swam a 100km marathon over 20 odd days to raise funds for animal shelters. Participated in numerous physical challenges, and collaborated with numerous athletes on the island to raise awareness.
The reality is that Jake isn’t giving up, he was and still is on a mission. A mission to prove to himself that he can do anything.
Jake even went on to explain his academic accomplishments. He shared with us how he loves Maths, English and Software development. As Jake carried on to emphasize how important it is for him to stay active and keep both mind and body busy, we couldn’t help but notice a very distinct lifestyle.
“I live my life day by day. I don’t know what tomorrow holds for me, so I’ll make sure to soak up every waking moment I have.”
Not many of us will have to go through what Jake is going through, in fact, the chances are less than 1 in 100 million however, we all have hardships to deal with in life. Jake is a living example that no matter what the challenge is, we can overcome it. The Go&Fun team couldn’t be happier to be supporting such an inspiration in our community, and after reading this we hope to inspire you to contribute to your community as well.
