Jaxon Warburton is a good friend of Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper.
He is also an esteemed fisherman at just 9 years old, and he showed it one week ago today at the seventh annual Coop’s Catch for Kids event.
Coop’s Catch for Kids is a daylong catch-and-release fishing tournament fundraiser which sees its proceeds donated to the J5 Foundation, founded by Dick Vitale, to further pediatric cancer research and patient services.
Including this year’s gathering, Coop’s Catch for Kids has now raised more than $1 million to help kids such as Jaxon, who spent Monday on a boat with his father, James, and the vessel’s Captain, Mickey.
Jaxon, a third-grade student at Plato Academy, was one of a few area children who were honored on Monday. He was the event’s Guest of Honor in 2023.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for him to be out here fishing,” James Warburton said, “And even to be alive because of what he went through. Jaxon’s a trooper.”
Awards are given to those fishing who hook the biggest trout, snook and redfish, with the top trophy going to the person who has the best overall score of the three fish sizes combined.
After winning the trophy for biggest trout in 2023 and serving as the guest of honor, Jaxon was “excited” to return this year. He showed it at the docks as he waited to see which boat he would board, pointing out Lightning players to his father.
As the boat left the dock just after 9 a.m. on Monday, the Warburton’s revealed that behind the healthy, energetic boy—one who adorned matching blue swim trunks with his father and showed wonder whenever a fish snapped at the top of the water in Tampa Bay—is a child who overcame a daunting battle.
It was 2019, and Jaxon was three years old. He was suffering from recurring stomach issues and couldn’t go to the bathroom. His pediatrician told the family that it was likely indigestion, but after continued concerns and a distended stomach, James and his wife, Robin, took Jaxon to John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg.
That visit turned into a three-week stay and the discovery of a ganglioneuroblastoma, a rare tumor in Jaxon’s pelvic area that had overtaken his lower extremities, flattened his bladder and was affecting his nervous system.
"They were running every cancer test you can think of,” James said from the boat Monday. “MRIs, bone marrow, PET scans, everything you can think of under the sun. We're just happy that he's alive today. If it wasn't for us getting him there, he probably would have lost some of his functions for the rest of his life.”
The family stayed at the hospital until right before Jaxon’s fourth birthday in March, when they went home so the medical team could plan. The surgery that was supposed to take four to six hours instead took 12 1/2 hours and required leaving about 10% of the tumor in Jaxon’s stomach to avoid nerve damage.
Jaxon was just released by the oncology department this January, meaning he no longer requires regular tests every few months to monitor the tumor.
"When he had the surgery, he had to relearn how to walk and run again, basically. It was like he was starting all over as a one-year-old, and right now he's recovered fully,” James said. “There is still about 8 to 10% left in him that his body's supposed to take care of as he ages, but he's doing great. I'm so proud of him. It was a tough battle, but he’s a tough kid.”
In some ways, that toughness was visible during Coop’s Catch–Jaxon said he fishes weekly and recently caught a “massive” bass in the small ponds near their home. He asked Captain Mickey a barrage of questions throughout the day and wanted to place his own bait on his fishing line.
He called Coop’s Catch “amazing”, saying his favorite part about hockey is the occasional fight. Coincidentally, he also shared a message about fighting real-life battles to other children.
“Believe in yourself,” Jaxon said of his advice to those fighting pediatric cancer.
Moments after talking about his cancer, Jaxon caught a trout. He added a ladyfish to his collection for the day before reeling in a catfish, then leaned over to his father to coach him up, saying dad needed to cast his line in a different direction.
Just after 10 a.m. on a nearby boat, Lightning defenseman JJ Moser shouted “Now we’re talking!” as he reeled in a fish. Jaxon’s mother, Robin, is Swiss, but she couldn’t attend Monday’s fishing tournament. James quipped they were excited when the team acquired Moser this summer.
Captain Mickey told the Warburton’s that he watches every Lightning game he can. While Mickey guided the boat, Jaxon took the co-captain seat next to him as the boat headed to the second fishing spot of the day.
Jaxon, who sported his Minions-themed Crocs with a Coop’s Catch sweatshirt all day, caught his first ever Tarpon–a fish known for being a tough species to reel in–at 11:15 a.m. Jaxon handled the fish well once the hook was set, and he caught a snook a short while later. He finished one redfish away from the fishing ‘Grand Slam’.
Jaxon received a shoutout at the Coop’s Catch afterparty for his Tarpon before the celebration ended with plenty of food and drinks. While the Tarpon was a “cool” get for the 9-year-old, his favorite fish of all-time remains his award-winning 18 ½-inch trout that won him a trophy at last year’s Coop’s Catch.
Jaxon’s father has lived in Florida for 31 years and played recreational hockey into his 40s. Jaxon is a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning Rookie League at Clearwater Ice Arena.
On Sunday evening as part of the Coop’s Catch event, Cooper asked Jaxon to return to AMALIE Arena to be the Thunder Kid for the Hockey Fights Cancer game on Nov. 25.
“I haven’t seen him light up like that in a long time,” James said.
Cooper and the Lightning serve as a continuous reminder that the Warburton family is not alone, and their son should be honored for his brave fight in his infancy.
It was visible on Monday that Jaxon—and the Warburton’s—will always have a friend in Cooper.
"I don't know if he (Jaxon) understands how big it is to meet Wayne Gretzky, to meet with Cooper,” James said. “Cooper is going to go down in history as one of the best coaches ever, in the Hall of Fame, probably. So I don't think he understands, like, the magnitude of what he is involved in. Me and my wife, when we get invited to things like this, we are just so grateful and thankful.”
