Rebekah's childhood friend Jasyn was diagnosed with cancer at 16 and had a wish granted by our chapter in 2013. She marveled at how Jasyn never let her diagnosis dictate the way she was going navigate her young life. “She never advertised being sick, she never made it about what she was going through. She wanted to focus on being a normal teen."

Jasyn wanted to see her favorite recording artist. According to Rebekah, “He was Jasyn’s favorite person to ever live.” She decided that if she could have any wish experience, it would be to see him perform. Jasyn and her family were the first wish family in America to attend his concert at Madison Square Garden and were beyond thrilled when they also had the chance meet him.  

The impact of Jasyn’s wish was evident for Rebekah. Her friend radiated happiness as she shared the details of her wish day and all the memories she created with her family. At Jasyn’s funeral, 19-year-old Rebekah gave her first eulogy as the words of Jasyn’s favorite song from this artist played in the background.

Rebekah stills mourns the loss of her friend and committed to running the marathon to honor her. “Jasyn was the most driven person I ever knew,” she said. “She was the type of person who would always say yes to things, she was always willing to take on a new adventure or try something new or something a little crazy. This is who she was.”

It has been Rebekah’s motivation for pushing through the hard runs she takes leading up to November 6^th.

We're excited to celebrate Jasyn's life as Rebekah runs in her honor during the New York City Marathon. We can’t wait to cheer her on in a few weeks!