Every tackle by Iowa State redshirt junior defensive end Jack Janikowski this fall will honor his mother, Heather Janikowski, who died of cancer in 2022.

In 2018, Heather Janikowski was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer in her brain, which she overcame through remission, going against her doctor’s prognosis that she would have two months left to live.

In 2021, Heather’s cancer returned, and she continued to live her life to the fullest before passing away peacefully in her home Jan. 19, 2022.

Before her passing, Heather was known for her kindness, being an active caregiver, supporting her children and always wanting to help others and give back. With her kind heart, Heather spent her days taking care of other cancer patients and holding their hands through tough times, alongside mentoring children to overcome their own adversity.

“Her lesson that she taught me is, always be happy and just keep going, no matter what happens in your life,” Jack said. “… Continue doing what you’re doing, continue to your goals, keep fighting for what you want.”

Since her passing, the Janikowski family started a foundation in Heather’s name to raise money for families in a way to honor her battle. In 2022, Jack’s brother, Dean Janikowski, started a pledge called “More than a Kick,” using his ability as a kicker for Washington State to raise money for each field goal he kicked. 

By the end of his kicking career, Dean raised up to $18,000 for children with cancer and others battling cancer in the Washington State community. After Dean’s collegiate career, Jack continued the pledging system, but more relevant to his position on the gridiron, calling it “Tackling Cancer.”

The donations are collected in terms of a point system during Jack’s defense during a game:

• 0.5 tackles (or assists) is one point
• One tackle is three points
• Two tackles is five points
• Three tackles/sack is 10 points

“It’s kind of a way that people can donate to and then for every tackle and every sack I get, they can put like five bucks to every point,” Jack said. “So then, for every point I get throughout the season, I’ll make a big post on that Pledge It. So then all that money will go towards those points, and then we’ll kind of count it all up at the end.”

Through his pledge, which is used to secure funding for the Heather Foundation, Jack and his family have raised more than $200,000 in his mother’s name. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization, with 100% of the money going to the recipient.

When selecting a recipient, Jack and the foundation are open to anyone, particularly families in need, whom they often find through word of mouth. Through research, Jack assesses the individual’s diagnosis, the financial costs associated with their treatment, travel expenses related to that treatment and whether they have children and are unable to work. This enables him to identify those who may require additional support in various areas.

“At Washington, I had a group of ladies with me that helped me pick out certain people,” Jack said. “So sometimes it was friends of friends, it was people out about on the news and we picked them. It’s just a great opportunity to meet someone new, especially in the area and also help out with this awful disease that they’re struggling with now.”

Although holding a pledge in honor of raising money in his mom’s name, Jack also has other plans involving raising money for charity, such as fundraisers, handing out bracelets, auctions, hosting 5Ks and winery events.

“We want to do an event before the spring game, like we did in Washington,” Jack said. “So there’d be a silent auction, a live auction and then we had just every family that I donated would come down and we’d all just talk a little bit about what we did. It just basically would be a big celebration of, this is what I’m doing this year, I hope everyone can jump on board.”

As a player who recently transferred from Washington State, who had a community supporting his passion and goals for the foundation, Jack is in the process of building a community in Ames and partnering with the local Ames hospital, Mary Greeley.

On top of building more connections and raising funds for communities, Jack emphasized how there are other ways he would like to help those in need and battling cancer, explaining how he is getting a bunch of DMs, text messages, emails, etc., from individuals in the community who are hoping they can receive some extra help.

“I think it’s just like a payback almost to them, like saying ‘Thank you for everything, thank you for the support,’” Jack said. “Because without their support, this place wouldn’t be what it is right now. So for me personally, I think as a football player, as a student athlete, it’s just basically a big payback to them, saying thank you for truly everything you’ve done for us, let me help you in a way that could truly change your life forever.”

Jack emphasized that he is more than willing to talk to and help anyone in need — that if anyone has any information regarding someone who needs extra support with bills or is currently fighting cancer, please reach out.

To learn more about Jack’s mission or donate, you can click here for more information.