Dad Under Pressure
Fixing, helping, and providing are what Dad does best, and nobody understands the anguish of not being able to solve a problem for their child better than our co-founder, Mike Harrell.
Nearing the end of her battle with brain cancer (DIPG), 17-year-old Jane's health was deteriorating rapidly. No longer able to eat or walk, Jane, with her bold faith, found contentment in the promise of Heaven.
As one can imagine, Mike lay awake at night struggling to grasp the reality that there was no cure, no more treatment options, nothing left to try. For a father who wanted nothing more than to save his daughter, there was simply nothing he could do to change the outcome. He couldn't fix it. He couldn't trade places with her.
Yet Jane seemed to understand what her father was wrestling with. She had already accepted what lay ahead. Her peace challenged everyone around her, especially Mike, to do the same.
At Jane's Fund, we know that every dad eventually encounters circumstances beyond his ability to control—not for lack of effort, love, or determination, but because life happens. The miracle we celebrate on Father's Day is that children still see Dad as their hero, even when life throws curveballs that make providing, protecting, or fixing the problem impossible.
This simple truth is one reason Mike Harrell wants to "Help as many kids as possible"—kids with terminal pediatric cancer and students attending schools without the resources they need to thrive.
Life is short, and recognizing the power of friends and strangers who step in to fill the gaps, Mike works to fill gaps for other fathers who are simply doing the best they can.
To all the dads on Father's Day who think about the times you've "fallen short," trust us when we say that kids remember the moments you show up, listen, and offer words of wisdom.
In Jane's final weeks, Mike and Jane spent time together laughing as they watched The Office, somehow knowing things would be okay.
Mike will forever be 17-year-old Jane's hero—not because he fixed the unfixable, but because he never stopped showing up when life became impossibly hard. He leaned in, loved well, and then followed his promise to Jane to KEEP LIVING.
We love you, Mike—not just on Father's Day, but every day.
*Names and photos may be changed to protect a family's privacy.
