Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Never Give Up
FOUNDATION TO CARRY ON TEEN’S LEGACY
PRAIRIE GROVE — Jarren Sorters of Prairie Grove passed away from cancer last fall but his parents are making sure their 15-year-old son’s legacy lives on to help others.
In November 2016, Joey and Donna Sorters formed a non-profit organization, called Play4Jarren Foundation, to bring awareness to childhood cancer, provide money for research and impact the lives of others.
The foundation recently made its first donation, $15,000 to Arkansas Children’s Hospital Oncology Department in Little Rock. Half of the money is designated to Jarren’s doctor for research and the other half will go to 4K Floor, the oncology floor at the hospital.
“He was so outgoing and such a driven person,” said Donna Sorters, describing Jarren, who loved baseball, basketball and football. “He never gave up. He had such a drive, such a perseverance. The drive that he had, we want to carry that on.”
She added, tearfully, “Okay, Jarren, your life may be over but we’re not going to give up. We’re going to make an impact with your life.”
The organization’s motto is “Never Give Up, Never Give In, Never Quit.”
The logo selected by his parents for Play4Jarren is a gold ribbon inscribed with the words, “competitive, compassionate and courageous.”
Joey Sorters said they believe the three words adequately describe their son throughout his whole life, even as he faced the adversity of cancer.
Teachers would tell Donna that Jarren had compassion for everyone. One cafeteria worker said she never knew where he would be sitting in the lunchroom. He would sit with a group of friends for several days and then she would notice him sitting with another student who had been alone at a table.
One of Jarren’s friends wrote this about Jarren: “You were usually the smallest one on the field or court but you always had the biggest heart.”
Donna said she hopes Jarren’s competitive spirit, compassion and courage can be passed on to others by honoring and preserving his legacy.
Fighting & Serving
Play4Jarren will encompass three main areas to help fight childhood cancer, serve others dealing with adversities and recognize outstanding, deserving students.
The Noone Fights Alone Fund will be used to promote awareness, education and research for childhood cancer. This fund will be used to help fund medical research related to treatment and diagnosis of childhood cancer.
The 27 Forever Fund will promote youth development through sports by providing support to aspiring athletes facing physical, medical or financial issues that keep them off the playing field and on the sidelines.
Play4Jarren also will support academic endeavors by awarding three scholarships, beginning with the Class of 2017.
Two scholarships will be awarded to Prairie Grove High School graduates. The Impact scholarship will be awarded to a student who positively impacts his/ her school or community by demonstrating leadership abilities and compassion toward others. The Spirit of the Tiger scholarship will be awarded to an athlete who demonstrates tenacity, determination and perseverance.
A third scholarship, called Celebration of Life, will be awarded to a student whose life has been affected by cancer in some way but continues to live life to the fullest. This scholarship will be open to anyone in the state.
By creating different areas of focus, Donna said people can donate to the umbrella organization Play4Jarren or designate their gifts to a specific fund.
Money for the donation to ACH was raised from two events last fall: a Noone Fights Alone baseball tournament in Fayetteville and a “Gold Out” fundraiser during the Prairie Grove-Farmington football game. Both Farmington and Prairie Grove sold t-shirts and balloons to raise money for Play4Jarren.
Donna said she believes the baseball tournament and “Gold Out” will be annual events. They are discussing other fundraisers possibly for the spring and summer.
An Unexpected Journey
Joey’s ultimate goal, he said, is that one day yellow in September will be as big as pink in October. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, whereas October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
“I didn’t know anything about childhood cancer until a year and a half ago,” Joey Sorters said.
Jarren’s journey started simply with the complaint that his left foot was hurting. It was during spring break 2015 and the teenager was practicing baseball several times a week. The pain initially was attributed to growing pains and baseball practice.
Jarren went to the doctor for the first time on June 9 and from then through the end of July, he was treated for possibly a fracture or pulled tendon. The doctor could not identify anything in particular causing Jarren’s pain.
In late July, the family was at the beach and Jarren said his foot was hurting. He took off his shoe and the foot was so swollen, Joey said.
Returning home, they were able to see a doctor and were then sent to Arkansas Children’s Hospital for more tests. The foot had a mass on it and the doctor indicated something was going on. Jarren was diagnosed with cancer on Aug. 13, 2015. Later, his parents learned the diagnosis was a rare and aggressive cancer identified as Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcoma with CIC Dux 4.
Jarren had a primary tumor on his left foot and two metastasized tumors behind his knee and on his pelvis.
Donna said she has learned through her own research since the diagnosis that Sarcoma is misdiagnosed as an injury in possibly as many as 90 percent of the cases.
They also learned that Sarcoma in a child and in the foot is extremely rare.
One doctor told Joey, “You have a better chance of winning the lottery than being diagnosed with this as a child and in the foot.”
From the diagnosis, Jarren’s treatment included aggressive chemotherapy, a below- the- knee amputation and radiation. The cancer continued to spread and Jarren went to St. Jude’s Hospital in Memphis for more treatment. Jarren began a drug trial program in May 2016, but the trial was ineffective and the family was given the news the cancer had grown and metastasized.
Jarren’s parents sought hospice care for their son and he passed away about eight weeks later, on Aug. 11, 2016. The community celebrated Jarren’s young life with a service held at the high school basketball arena on Aug. 13, 2016.
Faith & Community
Donna and Joey Sorters said they are still amazed at the support they were given during Jarren’s journey and this is another reason for forming Play4Jarren Foundation.
“Not everyone has that support and we want to help others in the same way,” Donna said.
Support came through monetary gifts, cards, words of encouragement, texts, helping with Jarren’s brother, Jackson, moving them into a new home. The community, Prairie Grove School District and their church, First Baptist of Prairie Grove, provided help in many ways.
“Even the smallest and simplest things meant everything to us,” Donna said. “I don’t think there was a day that we didn’t hear from someone.”
They hope to be a resource for others who may have to go through similar situations and also through the foundation, to be able to share the love of God.
Both point to their faith in God as sustaining them through Jarren’s journey and even today, sometimes hour by hour.
Donna said she holds onto the scripture from Isaiah 43:2: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you…”
They shared a photo on Facebook of Jarren being baptized and the photo reached 97,000 people.
“We want to continue to share his story and the love of Christ and the hope we have in Christ,” Donna Sorters said.
The foundation will have a new website that should launch sometime in January. The website address will be Play4JarrenFoundation.org. Donations to the foundation also can be made through Arvest Bank.
“We want to continue to share his story and the love of Christ and the hope we have in Christ.” Donna Sorters Jarren Sorter’s mother