SCITUATE, Mass. — Jake Reynolds was unflappable and nearly unstoppable between the pipes. Reynolds earned All-America honors at Springfield College and, before that, he shattered the Massachusetts all-time saves record while at Scituate High. He was the first goalie in state history to record 1,000 career saves.
And it wasn’t just lacrosse, Reynolds also excelled in cross-country, where he was named All-State.
“It’s kind of my escape for whatever it be, two hours of practice, two and a half hours, that was kind of my scapegoat for the time being, so I didn’t really let it affect me. I used it as motivation more than anything,” he said.
The 25-year-old Reynolds has used that motivation to defy the odds since he was a little boy. He was born with cystic fibrosis, a progressive, genetic disease that can cause deadly mucus build-ups within organs, including the lungs. There is no cure and, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the life expectancy of people with the disease is 46 years old.
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“I’m trying to take it out of the lens. Obviously, I have CF, but I am trying to make it better for other patients and other individuals that are going through the disease and benefit as much as I have,” Reynolds said.
That’s why Reynolds and his best friend from childhood, Matt Gavis, launched a non-profit called Closing The Gap Foundation. The goal for the former star goalie is to search for a cure and help provide a higher quality of life for those affected by CF. That would be Jake Reynolds’ most important save of his life.
The Closing The Gap Foundation has, so far, raised $100,000 in the fight against cystic fibrosis. Reynolds, along with his doctor and a group of cf patients, plans to run this year’s Boston Marathon.
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