Miracle moment: Father and son celebrate beating cancer

Blake Janik and his dad, John, have a lot in common: A love for superheroes, genetics and a shared battle with cancer.

“He was a brave guy. He was a brave little guy,” said John Janik.

Blake was 7 years old when doctors diagnosed him with leukemia.

“I did a bone marrow test,” said Janik.

Blake is 10 years old now, in remission, and recently rang the bell, marking the end of cancer, not just alongside his dad, but with his dad.

“Thirty years ago, I faced leukemia as well. A little different than what Blake had, and back then, a long time ago, we never got to ring bells,” said Janik. “Thank goodness, through the grace of God, Blake had a above 90% chance of recovery and cure. When I went through mine, it was roughly about 40 to 50% chance.”

Inspired by the superhero series they watched together, they adopted their own alter egos to unite and fight.

“So I really like the Winter Soldier,” said Blake. “He has super strength.”

“Mine is Captain America,” said Janik. “That’s why we ended up picking these two because they were best friends that have gone through battles and survived and done all these things together.”

Now, together, they celebrate. Blake told WINK News he feels “Free.”

He’s going into the 4th grade next year and looks forward to putting his leukemia, doctors and hospital visits behind him.

For his dad, John, it’s a little more complicated and beautiful.

“It brought back a lot of emotion, obviously, for me. A lot of things that you go through and you don’t remember then you start remembering as you live through your child going through it,” said Janik, “so that was, you know, it was a really good thing. It was a great thing to ring a bell to put closure you didn’t know you had and then to also close things with your son, looking back. We’re a tight-knit family. We’re just stronger for everything we’ve been through.”

Your strength is more inspiring than even the superheroes you love, Blake and John, you’re our Miracle Moment.

Blake’s mom, Bridgette, is also a hero. John credits her instinct and her insistence on running a blood test to saving Blake’s life.