Jarrett Mynear was born on April 16, 1989. He was smart, quick witted, energetic, and enthusiastic. He made friends wherever and whenever he went. He became a renowned humanitarian, a successful public speaker, and a local celebrity. He made appearances on the Rosie O'Donnell show, walked president Clinton's dog, started his own philanthropic organization, Jarrett's Joy Cart, and witnessed the creation of his biography, The Joy Cart by Marvin Bartlett. What made Jarrett special was his undying spirit, his ability to cope with difficult, life-threatening situations, and his devotion to helping others. What made Jarrett different was that he was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare bone cancer, at the age of 2. His leg was amputated by age 3 and he was diagnosed with various forms of cancer 6 times by the time he was 13.
While Jarrett is no longer with us, his legacy lives on through his spirit, his charitable contributions, and various projects and funds in his name. The Jarrett Mynear Fund started collecting donations in late 2002 for the renovation of the Pediatric Oncology Clinic at the University of Kentucky. Thanks in part to the Jarrett Mynear Fund, the clinic is fully operational clinic and sees 2,500 Kentucky patients each year.Upon the initial completion of the construction phase, however, it became obvious that while the new clinic was a vital component in the actual treatment of pediatric oncology, there were many aspects of cancer still left unaffected by the generosity of the JMF. An umbrella fund was thus established, the Golden Matrix Fund, one that would provide families with emotional support throughout their battle with cancer, and support cancer research. Gold is both the color associated with childhood cancer and was ironically Jarrett's favorite color. The Matrix component also has a two-fold meaning. Due to its exclusive association with DanceBlue, the term "matrix" describes a fabrication of various components coming together to build a greater whole, similar to the impact that the dance marathon will have on the community. On a more personal note, The Matrix was also Jarrett's favorite movie. As his mother remarks, he couldn't wait until the release of "Reloaded." He unfortunately passed before it came to a theater, but she believes he has found the full series and an entertainment system that is truly out of this world.
The Golden Matrix Fund was created to benefit the University of Kentucky Pediatric Oncology Clinic patients and families. Childhood cancer not only affects the child physically, but it also creates many emotional and financial difficulties for the entire family. Children who have cancer make routine visits to the hospital and have to undergo countless tests and procedures regularly, all the while trying to fit in with their peers. Families affected by childhood cancer are faced with countless added stressors to their daily lives: paying medical bills, obtaining transportation to and from hospital visits, taking time off work to care for their children, and the emotional affects on other siblings.
DanceBlue funds provide salary support for professionals who help patients and their families deal with all aspects of childhood cancer. DanceBlue directly funds 2 social workers who are dedicated to pediatric oncology social work. The social workers do help families access community resources that can end up providing financial assistance. Prior to DanceBlue there were no dedicated pediatric oncology social workers.
DanceBlue helps fund the Long Term Follow-up clinic that provides medical care for survivors of childhood cancer. DanceBlue provides salary support for neurocognitive testing of the patients, to help diagnose therapy-related learning disorders, and helps the Clinic communicate with schools for appropriate intervention. The Clinic would not be able to offer these services to the families without DanceBlue support, as none of them earn clinical income.DanceBlue also helps provide clinical research associate support that allows us to offer all of the latest treatment plans offered by the NCI-supported Children's Oncology Group. Also DanceBlue supports laboratory research in pediatric oncology and in the Markey Cancer Center.
