He may have been a fighter to the end, but this family had always been aware Jason Shipton’s time on this good Earth was limited early on.
Jason and Amanda Shipton were no strangers to the possibility of loss as it is.
The man himself was a U.S. Marine, and was regularly deployed to the front lines in places like Iraq and Afghanistan to partake in life-threatening combat.
In fact, after being engaged for only six weeks, Jason had to leave his newly-wed bride as a two-week-old husband for his second deployment.
The pattern over the next decade or so would be familiar to any military couple or family, with Amanda being constantly worried Jason might return in a box instead.
Miraculously, however, he survived the wars he was put through just fine.
Not only that, the two of them managed to build a warm and loving family in those ten years of marriage and had two children together.
Not bad for a couple that was initially engaged for just over a month!
Alas, their happiness was not to last. Just a few weeks after celebrating Amanda’s third pregnancy, the couple was blasted with some heartbreaking news.
Jason was diagnosed with brain cancer, at the age of only 37-years-old.
A shockingly young age – especially for one who was a father of a soon-to-be-complete trio of sons.
A fighter at heart, Jason was not going to take this prognosis lying down.
Armed with Amanda’s eternal support and the same kind of steely grit and determination and proved to be of great help during his service, Jason battled through radiation and chemotherapy to outlast the original five years the doctors had given him.
The tumor was successfully beaten into submission, and Jason was able to help Amanda raise their three sons for longer than they thought possible.
Although fate had given them a brief respite and a few years of happiness with the remission of cancer, the odds were stacked against them.
It was incredibly likely that the aggressive brain tumor would return, and possibly in a location that would render it untreatable.
The family did their best, but the predicted inevitable came true – the tumor was back, and this battle was one Jason could not win.
The family was, at the very least, prepared for this. Amanda showed just why Jason married her, by proving herself to be strong and courageous during this painful time.
Later, she wrote and posted on Facebook a message about her husband, and poured out her feelings in a heartfelt post.
There, she shared about just how she feels heartbroken, but is also encouraged and strengthened by her sons.
They have, at least, grown up knowing their father, thanks to just how hard he fought to be there for them.
Jason has left a wonderful legacy, and the family has clearly been inspired by the strength he had put into loving them.
Now, they just have to learn how to live without a father and husband and do their best to live up to the legacy he had left behind.