An Ontario man who wasn’t expected to live past the age of eight was treated to a surprise 50th birthday party on Sunday.
Jerome Hawco was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease. The genetic disorder causes one’s bones to break easily, often with little or no clear cause.
“I pretty much broke almost every bone in my body, except for my neck, nose, and my back,” Hawco told CTV Kitchener on Sunday. “That's why I have such a short stature."
Gary Hawco, Jerome’s brother, was among the roughly 100 people who gathered in Cambridge, Ont. to celebrate the milestone. He says the family has lost track of how many breaks Jerome has endured.
“I think he stopped counting at about the two hundred mark,” Gary said. “Two hundred bone breaks -- that's when you stop counting"
When Jerome was young, his family was also told that he would not live past childhood.
"He was never supposed to reach past the age of eight years-old,” sister Teresa Hawco said from the party. “And this is a milestone for us."
Jerome said that, after he lived past age eight, he was told he might not make it past 15. “But I surpassed that, so I’m quite happy with that.”
Despite all the obvious difficulties such a condition causes, Jerome says that he’s never let it get to him.
"Not at all,” he said simply. “I think if it stopped me, I don't know, I probably wouldn't have lived this long. You’ve got to keep going to keep going."
With files from CTV Kitchener
