He was 13 when doctors told him he had osteosarcoma, the same knee-area bone cancer as Terry Fox. Today, he finds his healing in helping others. Our series of Courage To Come Back profiles continues with a look at Jacob Bredenhof of Abbotsford, the recipient of the Young Adult award.
Now 21, Bredenhof still remembers the day he received the diagnosis that would change his life.
“My mom asked, ‘Is it bad?’ And the doctor said, ‘It’s the worst of the worst.’ So, that started our journey into the whole cancer world,” he said.
“Osteosarcoma is quite an aggressive cancer compared to other types. It is also a hard tissue cancer, which means it doesn’t shrink. It has to be removed.”
Bredenhof ended up opting for a rotationplasty, as opposed to a full leg amputation.
“They take the lower part of my leg and bring it up to the upper part and rotate it 180 degrees. So now my foot and my ankle act as my knee. I chose this option to give me, I thought, the best mobility, [so I could be] the most active.”
Seventeen rounds of high-dose chemotherapy followed. He credits his family and his faith in God for getting him through it.
“He has a plan for me, and whether I could see that plan or not, I trusted in Him to see it through.”
Bredenhof says he didn’t want to let cancer slow him down — and it hasn’t.
“Now I’m still able to do pretty much whatever I want. I mean, I don’t really run or anything, but I don’t really see the need for that. I can still do what I want. I can go for walks, I can hike, I can work — everything I need to do.”
Almost immediately, he started giving back by raising money for cancer research, including when he rode a specially made bike for use with a prosthetic leg.
“Nothing really prepares you for [riding] 105 kilometres straight. That was a lot. It was a long journey. Obviously, we made it. And I had a good team with me as well. I had Darrell Fox, who is Terry Fox’s brother. He was a big motivation for me, and it was really cool to ride with him.”
Bredenhof not only raises money for cancer research, but he also volunteers, serving meals at a local outreach facility in Chilliwack.
“It just brings me joy to help other people. If I’m able to help anyone, I’ll do it,” he said.
“I think that God has given me a lot of blessings, including my life. And I think I have an overabundance of blessings. And so, I should give back to other people that maybe aren’t so blessed as well.”
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Bredenhof has big plans. He’s just completed his first year of a millwright apprenticeship, and he hopes to be married next winter.
He hopes his Courage To Come Back award sets an example to motivate others.
“The hardest thing in your life is still the hardest thing in your life, and you need the courage to make it through that. And so, if I’m able to help people see that they can make it through something, then I hope that’s what I can do.”
1130 NewsRadio is a proud sponsor of the 2026 Coast Mental Health Courage To Come Back awards, which are being handed out tomorrow night at the Vancouver Convention Centre.