'I'm lucky': Farmington football player thrives after years spent battling childhood cancer

ELMWOOD — Winning a football game never felt so good for Jerett Fauser.

The Farmington senior celebrated with his teammates after a 40-0 victory over Elmwood/Brimfield on a brisk Friday night at Whitney Field. With the win, the Class 2A second-ranked Farmers (5-0, 4-0) will be in the playoffs for a ninth successive appearance and 11th time in the last 12 seasons.

“40-0?” he said of the big rivalry victory. “I mean, I wouldn’t have predicted that, but I’m glad it happened.”

As a starting wide receiver and cornerback for Farmington, Fauser's journey to the gridiron came after a life-altering battle with childhood cancer.

The road to illness and back

“Jett” was like any normal, healthy 3-year-old boy. He loved playing with trucks and in the dirt, especially after Farmington softball games hanging with his mom, coach Jeni Fauser, who was in her 13th season as the school's coach.

But in the summer of 2010, Jeni noticed her son lost his desire to run and jump, be his usual rambunctious self — or even participate in a toddler gymnastics class. He seemingly only wanted to sit and swing on a swing set.

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Four pediatrician visits followed, and there still was no progress. Most of the dignoses ranged from a common virus to allergies, but Jerett still wasn’t himself. The family finally got some answers after Jerett got his blood drawn during an emergency room visit and was admitted to the hospital.

“I knew walking in there, it was like, ‘This isn’t good,’" Jeni said. "Everybody was very nice, but you could just tell, they knew, and we didn’t know exactly what was going on.”

Three days and a bone marrow biopsy later, Jerett was diagnosis of Acute Lymphoid Leukemia , a type of fast-growing blood cancer. The family was told to immediately leave for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

Said Jeni: “We had about an hour to pack up, take off and get our life (together) and go."

The battle with childhood cancer

Tennessee became a second home for Jerett and his family in the coming months. He spent multiple nine-week stretches undergoing treatments at St. Jude with just a few weeks back in Farmington. The cancer treatment was very tough on such a young kid, causing him to lose his immunity and easily catch infections.

“A few times, it was touch-and-go if he would live,” Jeni said, “because he had nothing left to fight.”

Jerett spent three and a half years making weekly visits to Peoria’s St. Jude affiliate, receiving 20 spinal taps (one of which caused his breathing to stop) along with aggressive treatment to remove every cell of the cancer.

Through it all, Jerett went from going to St. Jude multiple times a month to now going there once a year for a full workup. Today, the high school kid has been cancer-free since he was 12 years old.

As a straight-A student, Jerett remains involved with fundraising for St. Jude under “Team Super Jetty”, which through the years has raised over $200,000 by hosting bake sales at home football games, kickball tournaments, a fishing derby and for the last nine years a slid n’ slide event.

“I have a great family and friends ... and everyone who supports me who got that running," he said. "… They all just do a great job. My name’s on the (organization), but the people behind it are the ones who are ‘Team Super Jetty.’ ”

Toughness on the field, as well

The 5-foot-11, 140-pounder is a tough-nosed and speedy player. He displayed a great nose for the ball against Elmwood, recording a pair of tackles and getting a second-quarter interception. Farmington coach Toby Vallas says Fauser is a physical presence for his size.

“He’s a sparkplug,” Vallas said. “He’ll stick his nose in there. He’ll fight. They say, ‘It’s not the size of the dog in the fight’. That’s Jerett.”

Wrapping up his senior season by beating the rival neighboring school, while sharing the field with buddies on both teams is pretty special.

“I’m lucky,” he said. “We’ve been pretty good every year, so the Farmington legacy’s still growing and being out there now under the lights with my friends and then the whole community behind you. It’s a great feeling and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

More than anything, it's Jerett who has made his loved ones swell with pride.

“When you go through something like that,” Jeni said, “there’s times back then when you’re like, ‘Was he going to make it to the next birthday?’ ‘Was he going to ever be able do these things with his friends?’

“Yes, we love to see him do well, but it is just a blessing that he’s out there and healthy enough to (play football). We met a lot of people along the way that, unfortunately, their stories did not turn out the same way.”

Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: 'I'm lucky': Farmington football player thrives after years spent battling childhood cancer