In a very unfortunate turn of events, my Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2021. This shifted every aspect of our lives in a very unexpected way! I immediately started to think of how I could help him financially, while continuing to work and develop my career as a recent college graduate, and be there every step of the way to support him through his cancer journey. This is how Flourish Create Co. was born. I would be able to put all of my marketing, digital design, social media marketing knowledge to work in my own small business, which would allow me to be flexible enough to support my father during this unprecedented time. 

Excitedly, I couldn’t wait to share my idea with my Dad. His immediate response was “I don’t want you to help me, I want you to help other people and families that are dealing with a situation just like ours”. I wasn’t quite sure how I could do that but I knew I was on a real mission to figure it out. After more extensive conversations with my Dad, I came up with the idea to start a non-profit that would help support people facing a cancer diagnosis. The things we talked about helped me create the vision I had for the Jet Foundation. Below are just a few of the struggles that we were experiencing:

• Finances: My dad was worried about the financial hardship of his cancer battle. Although he had good insurance, there was a time limit on how much longer he had with his disability term. His diagnosis eventually made it impossible for him to work, due to his deteriorating health.  He was constantly worried that he was going to be dropped from the insurance.

• Nutrition: We struggled with nutritional guidance while we were in the hospital. We know that eating properly during cancer treatment is so important. We did not have a lot of resources as to where we should start and how we should be fueling his body. This felt like a real burden for us because we knew that better nutrition could be a powerhouse to help him potentially feel better and give him more energy to fight.  We wish we would have had access to resources and some professional knowledge to help support us in this way.

• Wellness therapies: We didn’t have access to alternative wellness therapies in the hospital due to them being so booked out, making the services unavailable for us with the time frame we were working with. It would have been so helpful to have been guided to alternative solutions for pain and comfort during this time outside of the hospital so there could have been an opportunity to use some natural therapies that could have provided some relief on his body, such as acupuncture, oncology massage, etc.

Unfortunately, I lost my Dad to lung cancer in the summer of 2021.  The Jet Foundation was born out of the passion to support others while they navigate the most difficult journey they are facing. My Dad, Steve, was a stubborn man by not letting me help him BUT a selfless man by wanting me to help others.

Cancer doesn’t discriminate, it affects people of all ages, races, backgrounds, and lifestyles equally. The work we do in our community matters, we are so happy to be able to offer support to our community through our services.  This foundation was started in honor of Steve Jegtvig, a loving son, brother & father. 🖤

Founder & President

Mikaila Jegtvig