Jordan Noret recently became the new committee chair for Live Like Luke and has committed to this
role through 2025. Below is a brief introduction that he wants to share with the Live Like Luke
community.

How Childhood Cancer Changed My Life

I can’t express in words how excited and energized I am to be serving as the committee chair for Live
Like Luke. I’ve felt called to this kind of work since my son was being treated for Cancer in 2018. While
in the hospital, my wife and I witnessed terrible tragedy, and not just the loss of life. I most vividly
remember one child that was going through chemo treatment alone – he was in CPS custody with no
family to visit or anyone at all from his own life to be there with him. Some of the nurses would take
extra shifts so he was not alone.

Another story I still think about a lot is a father that was with his young son in the oncology unit, while his wife was downstairs giving birth to twins. They lived a few hours away, and had another child at home. We talked quite a bit with them, and we learned they were not of great financial means. We could only imagine the stress their family must have been experiencing on top of all the fear that comes with Cancer.

Our hearts broke frequently during our time in the hospital. Every day we were reminded of our own
blessings, despite being in the oncology unit with our son and unsure of his future. That year
dramatically changed us. I often think of things as “before” and “after” cancer.

Running For Charity Also Changed My Life

Soon after my son’s diagnosis, I started running to burn off stress. It worked, and as strange as it
sounds, I learned to love running. Then I discovered that I could run a half marathon for St. Jude
Children’s Hospital to help raise money for them, and it all “clicked.” Running my first half marathon,
and doing it for St. Jude, was a life-changing experience and sparked my imagination for more charity
work.

Over the next few years, I became more involved with the fundraising arm of St. Jude, eventually
becoming one of a few “North Texas Ambassadors.” I helped organize a few regional events for them,
and ran the Dopey Challenge at Walt Disney World as part of the National St. Jude Heroes Team. That’s
a 5K, 10K, half marathon, and full marathon series run on four consecutive mornings. All in, my personal
fundraisers brought in around $20,000 for St. Jude, but the North Texas events I helped to plan brought
in well over half a million! It was really incredible to experience the generosity of friends, family, and
coworkers, and even some people I barely knew.

Legs for Luke and Beyond

It was the year of the Dopey Challenge that I first connected with Luke’s family. I heard about his
cancer and wanted to run the races in his honor, calling my fundraising campaign “Legs for Luke.” I
cold-called Luke’s father, something pretty out of character for me. But they lived in my neighborhood
and I felt a strong need to reach out. We eventually became friends, and I soon learned that we shared
the same drive to help other families dealing with the effects of childhood cancer. They had been
moved, just like I had, by seeing all the kids and families in the hospital that needed more support.

As soon as I heard that the Live Like Luke ministry was up and running, I asked how I could help. At
first, I started a fundraiser, #1000MilesForLuke, and set up a new website for them. Then I got involved
with committee meetings, and learned more about the huge impacts the ministry was having on grant
families. I was amazed by the amount of money raised, and the stories behind the families that
received these funds. I believe that with its incredible momentum right now, Live Like Luke is positioned to have an enduring, wide-reaching effect. This is why I’m so excited to be taking on the committee
chair role.

A Little More About Me

My wife and I are high school sweethearts, and we have three young kids that do their best to keep us
on our toes, haha. I’m a geologist by profession and I love everything about nature and science,
especially the outdoors. I’m also heavily involved in our neighborhood Cub Scouts group. I graduated
from Texas A&M (WHOOP!), and I bleed maroon despite a lengthier tenure at SMU during grad school.
I’m passionate about many things, but above all I care about kids getting the opportunity to reach their
full potential. I also strive for transparency and open communication, so if you have any questions,
comments, ideas, or something completely out of the blue that you’d like to talk about, feel free to reach
out to me!