MEMPHIS — After being declared cancer-free back in May and going through numerous medical setbacks in the past month, Jackson Virga died early on July 23, his family shared online.
“This was never the post I wanted to make. Jackson gained his angel wings this morning (7/23) at 1:40 am.”
His funeral will be held Friday, July 31. Visitation starts at 9 a.m. with service to follow at 11 a.m. at Ourso Funeral Home (13533 Airline Hwy, Gonzales). His obituary can be viewed here.
“We are asking everyone to wear bright clothes, as Jackson was always so happy and loved life. We don’t want everyone in black,” the family shared.
Virga’s medical team was in the process of working to find other solutions to help the toddler get off the ventilator and fight what appeared to be a type of bacterial infection affecting his lungs. His family shared that even in his final hours last week, the team tried several more things to save him.
“But he was tired and they did right by him by letting him go peacefully. His lungs just didn’t work anymore. Our hearts are so broken. I wish every single person could have experienced Jackson. His bright smile and light brought so much joy and it made everyone who did meet him fall in love with him. Please keep our family in your prayers, especially Janay and Justin,” they wrote on Facebook.
An autopsy will be performed to determine what ultimately led to his death, which Virga’s family hopes will help other JMML patients in the future. Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia or JMML is rare, occurring in 1-2 cases per 1 million people. While he was officially in remission, his family shared that ultimately, the chemotherapy side effects caused irreparable tissue and vascular damage in his body.
Virga’s family is encouraging everyone who is physically able to become a bone marrow donor or donate to St. Jude to help other children and families in the same position. A bone marrow donor helped Virga earlier this year.
His mother, Janay, is hoping to start a memorial fund and JMML awareness. More information will be updated by Virga’s family later on. In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family is asking people to donate to St. Jude Children’s Research Center in Jackson’s name. The family also has a GoFundMe.
Previous update July 21
MEMPHIS — Nearly two weeks after he began experiencing lung complications following a tracheotomy, toddler Jackson Virga started to show progress, his family shared. He was then diagnosed with a bacterial infection last week. Since that time, his parents have remained by his side, hoping that their little boy regains his strength and can healthily come off the ventilator.
In their most recent update yesterday on social media, the family said Virga’s medical team is meeting to discuss another option to try after the toddler has had multiple setbacks in the past couple weeks.
“While there’s been no big changes we at least love to hear that there’s another idea. Hard to know if it will work, but they are trying their absolute best to think out of the box. Please keep sending your prayers and hoping for a miracle,” the family wrote on Facebook.
It’s now been over one month since Virga was sedated and initially placed on a ventilator. He began experiencing complications after doctors opted for a tracheotomy, which would have allowed him to come off the ventilator entirely, eat like normal and start physical therapy, his mother shared.
On July 2, doctors moved the toddler from a regular ventilator to an oscillator to help his oxygen levels. Within a couple days, his labwork improved and doctors decided to try a pulmonary surfactant medication.
Last week Virga received another dose of the surfactant along with plasma. He tested positive for Klebsiella pneumoniae in his urinary tract and respiratory system, so he started a round of antibiotics and staff suctioned out mucus.
VISIT THE FAMILY’S GOFUNDME HERE
On Friday, July 17, the family shared a heartbreaking post on social media:
“We want to be as transparent as we can after the last few days (and honestly the last month and a half). We are really not sure where things are going right now. While Jackson has made progress, he’s also had set backs as well. Sometimes, those are way more steps back than the steps forward. The doctors, nurses, staff, Janay, & Justin are trying everything to help give him a chance (as they have from the beginning), but nobody is really sure why he’s having the problems he is having. They are giving one medication time to see if it helps improve his condition, but after that we are all feeling like we are at the end of the road. There’s no more ideas. St. Jude has talked to doctors all over the world and nobody is sure. We also got to witness him being baptized last night.
His body has gone through an unimaginable amount of trauma between the cancer, chemotherapy, and bone marrow transplant. We are hoping for a miracle, but Janay and Justin will NOT let him suffer if they hit the stopping point. Please pray for a miracle today he had a SLIGHTLY better x-ray than yesterday and so we will see where things go, but we wanted everyone to be aware.“
On Sunday, the family said that Virga had a fairly uneventful day, and the doctors began making plans to wean him down on the oscillator. The medical team informed the family that the toddler won’t be able to stay on the oscillator much longer, because the machine can lead to tears in the lungs.
Now Virga’s family is hoping that the medical teams’ newest idea will be a promising step forward to helping the toddler get better and allow him to come off sedation and the ventilation machines.
Jackson Virga’s JMML journey
Virga was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer for his age: Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia or JMML, which occurs in 1-2 out of 1 million people. He was diagnosed in 2025, he has spent nearly every day since November at St. Jude in Memphis.
Virga went through a bone marrow transplant earlier this year and in late May, doctors declared he had “no leukemia cells in his blood.” The toddler’s bone marrow is now 100% the donor’s marrow and all signs of JMML are gone, as of reports in May.
To help Jackson Virga’s family financially, you can visit their Bonfire store to purchase shirts, tumblers, mugs, hats and more. Sales proceeds will go to Virga’s family. The family also has a GoFundMe for monetary donations.
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