Hard Work and Gratitude:

Jaedyn McKinstry, a student athlete at Bowling Green State University, should have been enjoying his summer at home in Fremont, Ohio, relaxing and spending time with friends. But he had headed back to school to practice and work at a few football camps. One thing is for sure—Jaedyn McKinstry is no stranger to hard work.

McKinstry started at the local public high school, where he was happy to be with all his friends. But his mother, Cassandra McKinstry, had other plans. She knew her son had big goals and would flourish in the rigorous, supportive environment at St. John’s Jesuit. So, in January of his freshman year, she drove her son 45 minutes from Fremont to Toledo for an interview at the school. He began classes the next day. “Great woman, my mom,” McKinstry says. “She does everything in her power for me.”

In 2018, a basketball injury landed McKinstry in the emergency room. But doctors discovered something more alarming, and McKinstry was diagnosed with stage four rhabdomyosarcoma—a rare cancer with a 50% chance of survival. McKinstry would then endure 55 weeks of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, but he remained optimistic. He lost a year of high school, putting him on the five-year plan. But McKinstry was determined and was eventually able to graduate with his fellow Titans and enroll at Bowling Green State University, where he plays Division I football.

McKinstry, the second oldest of four boys, credits his family for getting him through the hard times. He says of his older brother, “Jarvis really supported my mom. He’s my father figure.” McKinstry’s younger brother His brother Jabari is two years younger and a fellow graduate of St. John’s Jesuit.

The youngest, Jaeyce, is in fourth grade. Jaeyce never left his brother’s side during the hardships and seemed to understand, despite his age. “He’s like a 40-year-old man trapped in a nine-year-old’s body,” McKinstry jokes. “Hopefully he’ll become a Titan too.”

And then there is his friend who is like a brother, high school classmate Nick Klein. who McKinstry met as a freshman. Klein’s mother, Trisha, was also a huge source of support. McKinstry says, “I lived so far from St. John’s that I spent many nights at Nick’s house, and his mom took great care of me.” Klein’s family is representative of the larger St. John’s Jesuit community to whom McKinstry attributes his recovery and success.

Other supportive figures include Todd Black, a counselor at St. John’s Jesuit. McKinstry recalls, “He cried with me, laughed with me, really got me through it.” McKinstry also names Mary Ann Barabino, who leads the 20/20 Jesuit Scholars Program. He says Barabino “is the reason [he] was able to attend St. John’s in the first place.”

The school’s daily routine of students leading the Examen over the intercom strengthened McKinstry’s habit of gratitude, which he continues to practice. He says, “I didn’t let feeling sorry for myself last very long at all—I just learned to be thankful. And there were so many people to be thankful for.”

McKinstry is now focused on earning his degree in marketing and then going to the NFL. Since starting college, he’s switched to playing tight end. “It’s wherever Coach Lettler needs me. I’m just grateful to be here, and every day is a gift.”