We were lucky to catch up with Jacole Hall recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Jacole thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
The story behind Vaspire316 is about Love, Loss, Loyalty, and Legacy.
Dominic Hall was a Force Reconnaissance Marine, Army Special Forces Soldier, Appleton Police Officer, Father of two small children, and my faithful husband. He had a few combat deployments in his time of service to include responding to the 2011 Nuclear Power Plant disaster in Fukushima, Japan. An earthquake knocked out power to the plant and a tsunami wiped out backup emergency generators. Three of these generators exploded, releasing an enormous amount of radioactivity in the environment. It is said to be the second worst nuclear accident in history.
In May of 2021, my 31 year old husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. After a few weeks of shock and the determination to fight we would be connected with Chelsey Simoni of the HunterSeven Foundation.
We were told his tumor was on the head of his pancreas and only at stage 1B. We felt so blessed to have caught it early! It was wrapped around some blood vessels so the plan was to shrink it with chemotherapy then later a different mix of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Dominic was told to have a genetic test done to see if there was a more reasonable answer as to why this 31 year old, young, fit, healthy Veteran had cancer. His test came back positive for Lynch Syndrome, which is an inherited genetic mutation causing individuals to be prone to cancer at an early age; early being 50 and cancer being colon cancer. It didn’t make any sense to me. We were told the chemotherapy was not working, after all that vomit, diarrhea, weight loss, and suffering. It didn’t work. After the discovery of Lynch the team of doctors switched his treatment to immunotherapy, letting his body fight the cancer cells naturally.
His family was then told to be tested so we could get to the bottom of where it stemmed from. The bizarre part; neither one of his parents tested positive. No one else in his family has it, only now our children have a 50/50 chance of inheriting the gene.
Immunotherapy seemed too good to be true; and you know how that saying goes. Another heavy load of news we would be told right before starting chemo/radiation was there were some new spots on his liver.
November 1, 2021 Dominic was taken off the all too good to be true immunotherapy, which we were told once again did not work, but perhaps the first round of chemo may have worked but by this point in the game it was too late to go back and it was time for Dominic to face the demons of a new kind of chemo plus radiation therapy moving forward. For five and a half weeks we would travel 2 hours from home to his appointments Monday-Friday.
Chemo/radiation was a slow burning beast, by the fourth week Dominic was down 14 pounds from the treatment exploding from his body. He was admitted to the hospital for a week where he would be put on a nutrition plan called TPN, in short, a tube feeding tube placed in his vein to build his body back up so he could stay in the fight.
December 1, 2021, due to covid rules I could not stay with my husband overnight at the hospital, I would drive back and forth daily. He called me that night and told me he was having one of the worst days of his life. For my incredibly strong military husband, those words had some serious weight to them.
During our treatments we experienced days where Dominic would go in for an appointment and could not receive treatment due to low blood counts, low white cell count, weight loss, and once in a while he wasn’t on the schedule when he should have been; someone forgot to put him on the schedule. At times it felt like we were at the mercy of the roll of a dice whether we were getting treatment that day or not…. Being “forgotten about” was always a hard pill to swallow. And speaking of pills, by this time we had worked out a routine from every 3 hours to being able to skip the 3 am pills. It allowed me to have a bed time of 11pm and wake up at 6am for the next dose of pills. By this time he was taking roughly 32 pills a dayDecember 27, 2021 our 7 year wedding anniversary. We had an appointment at 6am on December 28th for further discussion on these mysterious spots on his liver. We were told it could be an infection or it could be cancer. So we decided to make the most of our anniversary and stay the night in Milwaukee, WI at a hotel across from the hospital, pizza delivery and the kid’s world bake off on tv. It was a perfect night. The next morning at our appointment we learned yet another tragic reality, if the spots were indeed cancer, Dominic would no longer be eligible for surgery. He would die.
With that news they sent us home. We were engulfed with back and forth news of the tumor growing, the tumor shrinking, the tumor grew again, some spots on his liver got bigger, some spots shrunk. The back and forth tug of war on our hearts at times was paralyzing. But we remained faithful in God’s plan. “Jesus, I trust in you” we would often say. Dominic brought others together for a nightly 7pm rosary and continued to believe “Something Beautiful is going to come from all of this suffering, I just know it.” He would often say.
January 12, 2022 surgery day. We had learned the tumor shrunk enough for surgery, Praise Jesus! The spots on his liver were looking more and more like an infection. We were told some of the most renowned panel of doctors were leaning towards an infection. We drove the 2 hours that morning to the hospital, not knowing if Dominic’s fate was to live or die. He would be put under briefly so the doctor could take a speed biopsy of the liver to determine if it was cancer or an infection. Once again, due to covid rules, I was not able to be with him. He would wake up alone.
What seemed like hours upon hours in the waiting room, I read Job from the Bible. Over and over again. Waiting for the phone on the wall to ring with the doctor on the other end whispering my husband’s fate. The concierges behind the desk all wore red jackets, laughing with one another, talking about cookies; laughing about emails. There were small meeting rooms behind me. I wondered how many wives, mothers, fathers have cried in those rooms, reminding myself to be like Job. A couple sat a few chairs in front of me, waiting for results about their son. My mother and father in law waited in the Chapel across the hallway, they too were not allowed in due to covid rules. Waiting to find out the fate of their son. I heard a faint phone ring, the red jacket came over to me, I clenched my Bible. The doctor is going to call you soon. You may go stand over by the wall and wait for the phone to ring. I was shaking. The black phone looked as if it was out of my reach, hanging on the wall at the entrance of the waiting room, I faced it, the high trafficked hospital hallway on my right, others sitting in the waiting room to my left. I happened to see a familiar face in the hallway, a friend was there with his 85 year old grandfather who also had pancreatic cancer. I started to say hi, and the black phone hanging on the wall rang. A deafening ring. Loud. So loud it made me jump. I set my notebook and Bible down, it rang again. Loud. and again I jumped, I did the sign of the cross and somehow was able to reach the phone to answer the call. “It’s cancer. I’m so sorry.” I was in instant shock. My body started shaking and I could feel my fight or flight instinct start to take over. I hung up the phone, looked at my friend and shook my head no. They instantly engulfed me in a hug. I let out 3 sorrowful sighs and pulled myself together, the doctor was coming down to talk with me. I was ushered to one of those little rooms in the back to wait. The doctor came in and held my hand, “if we do surgery the cancer will spread like wildfire.” “Can’t we just try?” I thought I was begging, pleading, screaming, maybe I was just thinking it. The thought of him waking up alone shook my soul, my heart broke. I need to be with my other half. Those vows are sacred, we are one, and I NEED to be with him when he wakes up, I thought. He cannot be alone with a random nurse delivering his fate. Or to look down and realize surgery did not happen. Death is the future.
I was told to wait. I was told I couldn’t be with my husband. I didn’t know where to go or what to do. I waited. I was calmly in shock. I decided to try to find him. I was determined to find him. I could not let him wake up alone. The red jackets drew me a map on a piece of paper. A map. Whatever that meant. I held it in my hand in the same exact position as they handed it to me the entire time as I searched for where to go, not once glancing at it. I was frozen. I’m still surprised I found my way back up to him. I waited in line. I didn’t know who to ask for. I didn’t know which room he was in. Finally it was my turn to be helped. “I’m sorry sweetie but you can not see him right now” is what I was told over and over. I finally started to weep. “We didn’t get good news,” I softly squeaked out. “I don’t know where to go or what to do.” My breaths got heavy, the mask wasn’t helping, I had to hold the mask away from my mouth so I could breath as it kept going down my throat as I tried to take deep breaths, I looked out the window and saw the organization Kathy’s House, “am I supposed to walk across the street and go there and wait?” That thought made me feel sick.
Finally, I was able to see him. They lead me back to him. It was such a maze. Where are we? where he is all I could think about; never in my life have I needed to see him as much as I did in this moment. He was waking up, I rushed to hold his hand. “Hi mama,” he said with a smile. “Hi daddy”, I said with the deepest, loving sigh and smiled. I knew he knew. He knew I knew. He smiled and said, “It’s all going to be ok mama.” Making sure I was safe.
He closed his eyes to sleep off the medications, I started making phone calls. I called his mother. The most dreaded phone call of my life. With each phone call that I made the sound on the other end of friends and loved ones fighting back the tears was gut wrenching. But if it helped my husband from having to make the calls I would have gladly twisted the knife into my gut over and over again for him. I finally took a break from the calls. I held his hand, and I just looked at him. The love of my life.
The next nine months were equally gruelling. We got into a good vomit routine and rejoiced at the moments when he could fight it back. We celebrated his 33rd birthday on August 23, 2022. One of his goals was to make it to his 33rd birthday because that was how old Jesus was when he died, the next day he was able to see his oldest son, Victor, just 4 years old, off to the first day of school for 4k, something we used to dream about doing together.
September 4, 2022 Dominic answered God’s call. His last words were said in a whisper to me, his wife, “I love you too.” My heart filled with joy and sorrow as he was unresponsive for a few hours prior and in my heart I knew these would be his last words. Once again, giving his wife everything she needed, no matter his state. He arrived on a Sunday as I made the agonizing decision to transition from at home hospice to hospital care, we were there for a week. He fought hard and was called home on Sunday; the Lord’s Day. Very suiting for such a strong Catholic Man. He was surrounded by his family. Once again giving me the opportunity to have what I needed. His breathing pattern changed. I knew it was the end. With Misty Mountains by Peter Hollens and Tim Frost playing on repeat in the background I made sure to fill is one last request; That I was holding his hand when he took his last breath. At 12:23 I made sure I kept my promise to my husband. He peacefully took his last breath, and in the midst of the tears from his passing, I was brokenhearted and had lived all of my vows to the fullest. “For better or for worse; for rich or for poor, In sickness or in health, I will love you.” I silently removed my wedding ring from my left hand to my right hand. Our bond was broken. I now am facing the world as a widow. Heartbroken, but refusing to be broken.
During all this time of sadness, sorrow, pain, and suffering my husband remained stoic, positive, encouraging. The vibrant light he shone upon God was inspiring. Still always making sure everyone around him was at peace and happy. The support and love we were showered with from the community was overwhelming. We could never pay anyone back, so we decided to pay it forward. Thus, Vaspire316 was born. And Dominic’s legacy will live on.
Wow. – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Absolutely. During the unexpected journey of morphing into a caretaker for my husband I learned an entire different level of love, devotion, pain, and respect for marriage. My husband was a decorated Veteran and he lived out the words “if not me then who?” He happily signed his name in blood and was willing to die for you and his country. He did just that and then some. Because of his never ending selfless services and the amazing organizatIon HunterSeven there is a new up and coming system called “The TRACE Model”. This new model will save many lives. Dominic Hall will never be forgotten. Just google his name and you too will instantly fall in love with my stoic masterpiece.
As for me, his wife, I will continue to bring him good and not evil all of the days of my life and raise his boys as strong, God fearing, gentlemen. I have been so blessed to have been married to Dominic Hall. The person I am today is because of his love for me. My blessings come from all over the country, from his brothers in arms who reach out frequently to check on me, to the police department making sure I was invited to the SWAT Team Christmas party among other activities. My circle of friends along with his family and my family are absolutely nothing short of amazing. So when Dominic and I created Vaspire316 we had all of them in mind. I grew up in a small town called “Freedom” which adds another level of sweetness to our story I’d like to think. I am petite in frame as some may say measuring in at a fierce 5′ 2″ but in my mind I am 6′ 5″ and 250 pounds! I may be small but I am fierce!! Bringing others happiness and helping them see their own beauty and potential brings me such joy, truly. It has been my newly found mission in life to make sure everyone of God’s children see themselves in His vision. My beautiful fellow widows/widowers, you are not alone and you are so loved.
Vaspire simply means- “Do good things.” Live out the virtues of life; have virtuous aspirations. 316 is Love. As in John:316.
I have also been so blessed to have The Recon Sniper Foundation take Vaspire316 under their wing and help with our mission- To raise funds for other Veteran Families diagnosed with cancer or other rare diseases from toxic exposures and to raise funds for Veterans to get Pre-screened for cancer using the Galleri Early Detection Cancer Screening Test Kit by Cure Match. If we would have known about this screening, our story would be much different, my husband would be alive. Our goal is to write a check for $10,000 and I want to personally hand it to a cancer fighting family. It would bring me so much joy. I also am seeking monthly donors and sponsors to graciously add to our goal of funding the $950 Galleri Test Kits. Along with fundraising I am in the works of creating an online store and someday a physical store for Vaspire316 apparel. When you wear Vaspire316, you are honoring those who have gone before us, honoring those fighting cancer, honoring the widows and children of those who gave their life; fighting right alongside with them, and lifting them up in prayer.
When you wear Vaspire316 you are keeping Dominic Hall’s name alive. A true American Hero. When you wear Vaspire316, you are showing his children, tragedy doesn’t define you. “Not this day. This day we fight.”
Incredible. Thank you for sharing. Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Me, tell a story?! Why yes, I most definitely can.
Sadly, I lost my mother to Breast Cancer on August 26, 2005, I was 19 years old, I always say a part of my father died along with her. My father physically passed away January 28, 2021. Two weeks after we buried my father, my husband was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. Going from wife, to care taker, to at home nurse was incredibly challenging, I sort through layers of pain and anguish everyday. My sister was the first person to say to me how resilient God has made me. However, If I had to go through the suffering and sorting of pain from the loss of my mother to help navigate my boys through their pain, I would do it all over again. A mother’s love for her children knows no bounds. Along with my mother’s death I was faced with a new level of challenge- Huntington’s Disease. I had just lost my mother and learned I had a 50% chance of inheriting the gene and developing HD myself, possibly not being able to have children. HD is a combination of ALS, Alzheimers, and Parkinson’s disease all at once. The struggles of who would want to marry me crept over my soul. It was my mother’s dying wish that I didn’t get tested and just lived life as normal. “Normal” what is that? “I am already suffering the loss of my family, how is this normal?” I thought. I lived at risk and in fear of HD for 13 years of my life. When I met Dominic, he was the type of man I knew I could share this fear with. He supported and loved every ounce of me. We were married in 2014, after his 2015-2016 deployment we decided it was the perfect time to get tested. The testing process for me took about a year. I had to talk with a counselor, see a neurologist, and talk with a therapist to see if I was in a good place of mind to receive the news if it was positive. We drove 3 hours to the testing site 3 times that year to meet with a counselor and take my blood draw. If my blood numbers were above 40/40 I would be considered positive for HD and would face an agonizing death. Going into the year 2017 I received my blood numbers, they were 20/17. I tested negative. I could have children. The fear was gone. That was the moment my Faith strengthened ten fold and I knew God was good.
In 2018 our first son was born. In 2020 our second son was born. I believe in facing your fears and living your life to the absolute fullest. Every day is truly a gift. Ask. Seek. Knock. Find and create the Joy, even if it’s for a brief moment between the stream of tears and you have to use a magnifying glass. I promise, it’s there.
Again, Thank you for sharing! Can you open up about how you funded your business?
I have been extremely blessed with the support system God has created for me. While my husband was sick, the community, our family, along with retired, local and non-local fire and police personnel went above and beyond caring for us. Because of the love they showered us with I was so inspired to give back. My heart knew there was work to be done and other cancer fighters, caretakers, widows and widowers walking alongside us that needed to be helped. I created the non-profit organization, Vaspire316, while taking notes from the Homilies at church from Father Patrick Costello and Father Jim Jugnheimer. After helping my husband to bed with all his medications for the night and putting our 2 and 4 year old to bed I sat at the kitchen table and researched how to start a non-profit organization. It was therapy for me. My mind was able to escape the sadness of the day and focus a little bit on the good of helping others.
Dominic deployed with the now president of the Recon Sniper Foundation, Chris Joliet, and they remained friends. I had gotten a message one day from Chris saying he and the rest of the team from RSF would like to help me with Vaspire316, take me under their wing, and invite me to be a part of their team. I couldn’t believe it. I was honored and humbled. RSF has been so good to me thus far. Reminding me daily, God is good.
One final note, we recently had a Pre-Screening Cancer Testing Event at our Police Department in Appleton, WI. Thirteen Veterans who work for the Police and Fire departments were tested. All 13 tests have come back negative. Praise Jesus. There are 45 Veterans total between Fire and LE, roughly $30,000 was needed to be raised in order to test the remaining Vets. With the help of some amazing friends who believe in Vaspire316’s mission we were blessed to have two caring, loyal, and gracious donors to cover the costs. A donation of $10,000 and a donation of $20,000 withing a week was made! All of the Veterans at our department will be pre-screened for cancer. God is good.
Take charge of your life, do what you can with what you have. Ask. Seek. Knock. Be Better. You can cry about it or you can be about it.
With Great Love and Blessings,
Jacole Hall and Family xo
Contact Info:
- Website: rsfvaspire316.funraise.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vaspire316/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reconsniperfoundation/
- Other: Also make sure to check out https://www.instagram.com/huntersevenfoundation/
Image Credits
Don Krueger Photography
Dave Jackson Studio