Both sides of  Butch Theiss Field were adorned with white Saturday October 10, as the community showed support for a student who has leukemia.

Jacob Munoz, 14, was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of leukemia, Philadelphia Chromosome Positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. He has been in and out of the hospital for treatment. The community follows his journey through his Facebook page, Jacob’s Fight.

However, last week, the Munoz family was able to trade the white walls of Texas Children’s Hospital for the  green turf of the football field. The idea for the White Out game came from Junior Erica Sheets, said HOSA and JV Cheer sponsor Kristen Haggard. Sheets wanted to do something special to honor Jacob, especially since he loves football.

” Once she came up with the idea,and we had permission from Jacob’s family, Mr. Whitehead and Coach Hallmark, KLEIN HOSA ordered and sold the (Jacob Strong) shirts and we got to work spreading the word through email and social media, ” Haggard said.

After the Munoz family was on board,  Klein reached out to the Spring High School to get their participation as well. The Lion cheerleaders and fans also donned the Jacob Strong T-shirts.

“The idea for the game came from reading his mom’s Facebook and seeing the impact he had on the community. It was inspiring to me,” Sheets said.

Jacob was given special treatment at the game. He participated in the coin toss before the game and got to see all the action by sitting on the gold cart on the field, Haggard said.

“This kind gesture was overwhelming to Jacob and his family and, although he was nervous, he was excited that his dad was able to join him on the field for the coin toss, ” Haggard said.

On the home side, not only were the cheerleaders wearing the Jacob Strong shirts, but several other Klein High organizations showed their support.

“Jacob and his family were blown away with the way the entire community came together,” she said. “His mom was in tears over the generosity of the entire community. She loved how all of the different organizations from the athletic trainers, the band, Bearkadettes and cheerleaders on both sides were honoring Jacob. The fact that so many parents and fans in the stands caught on and showed up in white just made the entire day even more special.”

The game was also  featured on Channel 13 news.  Reporter Deborah Wrigley came to the game to interview Jacob, his family, Mr. Whitehead, the cheerleaders and Klein HOSA and  senior Justin Rafferty, who spoke about the Color Run that he organized last spring.

To date, Haggard said they have donated nearly $5,000 to the Munoz family, thanks to T-shirt sales and a Color Run HOSA held. In addition, HOSA and Klein Stuco have held numerous blood drives to help Jacob.

Kleb Intermediate School has also sold T-shirts and donated proceeds to the family.

“The fact that he is so close to our age and the struggles that he had to face hits home for a lot of us,” Sheets said. “Jacob is a walking miracle and it’s all from the power of prayer. We can’t wait for Jacob to be a Bearkat and attend many more games.”