by Sam Bouzoukov, Editor in Chief
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| Jayson Adams (10) passed away in his room on the afternoon of Nov. 12. He had been battling two aggressive formsof cancer. |
Jayson Adams loved the paper cranes. Karina Lin (11) and Julia Pene (11) knew by the smile he had on his face. They knew by his body language. They knew by the excitement in his eyes.
They could tell he loved them.
His mother and other family members expressed their joy and gratitude through the tears coming down their faces.
He woke up Oct. 27 to the sight of his friends with almost 2,000 cranes in hand. While Lin and Pene originally aimed to make 1,000 paper cranes, they had enlisted more than 80 people from across the country to make some for Jayson.
After two years of battling cancer, at 15 years old, Jayson passed away in his bedroom Nov. 12 at 2:52 p.m. While his siblings were still at school, his parents were in the room with him.
"We found out on Tuesday, and had a rehearsal that night," Lin said. "You could walk into the [band room] and feel sadness in the air.
Jayson Adams mourned, honored by loved ones after battle with cancer (Page 2)
For all of his life, Jayson had been described as a kind spirit. When he was in Kindergarten, Adams was voted "Most Spunky."
"He was a gentle, happy little boy with a very kind soul," Jessie Adams, his mother, said. "Jayson also had a joyful spirit. Jayson enjoyed going to the beach, water park and hanging out with his friends after school."
Jayson moved for most of his life due to the fact that his father was in the military. When his family lived in Oahu, Hawaii Jayson learned how to play the trombone, ukulele and guitar. It was there he discovered a passion for music.
In mid-2011, his family moved to San Diego. Adams attended Westview the second term last year, his freshman year. He was first diagnosed with sarcoma, a rare type of cancer that attacks connective tissues, on Dec. 7, 2011.
Then, in September of this year, Jayson was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, a disease in which bone marrow makes an abnormal amount of white blood cells. These diseases left him undergoing chemotherapy. In the hospital, Lin and Pene both saw how much he persevered through his treatments.
"When we were in his bedroom [giving him the cranes], you could see how excited he was, even though all those bad things were happening to him" Lin said.
For those who knew Jayson, his fighting spirit and positivity stood out most.
"He never gave up on anything," Pene said. "Two weeks ago, a week before he passed, he decided he wanted to go through chemo again. It shows how strong he was, and how he wasn't going to give up. He was always fighting. He didn't let [cancer] get to his spirit."
Social science teacher Nic Spiess had the chance to experience Jayson's positive attitude in the time he had with him in his English class.
"[His sister] brought him into my class before term two had started and introduced me to him." Spiess said. "He never complained. He never whined. He had a really positive attitude each and every day. To me, it was inspiring. He had a lot of challenges in his life, and he just tackled them. It makes the things we whine about seem trivial."
Jayson's faith in God also resonated to those around him. From the blogs his mother posted to the stories close friends told about him, Lin saw hoe his faith shaped his character.
"Faith is a fragile thing, and it's so easy to fall away from God," Lin said. "When Julia and I were in the hospital, his mother was encouraging us so much and talking about faith so much. We ended praying together, and it just encouraged me to believe in the fact that God was in control."
Even in his greatest pain, Lin says that Jayson always managed to encourage people and give hope to them, especially towards her sister, who was Jayson's best friend.
His optimism and positivity helped inspire those around him.
"The fact that he was optimistic during a difficult time makes me re-evaluate my life and not take things for granted," Lin said.
To honor Jayson, during the band tournament at Arcadia on Nov. 16, the band made and wore orange and yellow colored anklets. The orange part of the anklet represents leukemia, while the yellow represents the sarcoma. With the anklets, they were able to dedicate their performances to him.
The band wanted to honor his fighting spirit.
"He always had the will to fight," Lin said. "He persevered so much. His spirit brought all of us together. I'm so grateful [for] Jayson."
Jayson's funeral is scheduled for tomorrow.
"Thank you Jayson for being an amazing son," Jessie said. "Though our heart aches, we are comforted in knowing that you are no longer in pain and are with your loving Father with a new mission in heaven. We promise to honor your life Jayson by living a life that is honorable to God. We love you."
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