For 25 years, Jarrett’s Joy Cart carries a legacy of love
For a kid, being in a hospital can be scary and confusing. It can also be really boring.
At University of Kentucky’s Albert B. Chandler Hospital, pediatric patients receive a little extra boost, thanks to the legacy of a boy who knew what it was like to spend long days there.
Jarrett Mynear became familiar with Chandler when he was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a form of bone cancer, at age two. When he was at a Seattle hospital for a stem cell transplant, volunteers arrived with a cart full of toys — a moment of happiness and normalcy during a very abnormal time. When he returned to Chandler, he began Jarrett’s Joy Cart. Loaded with toys donated from local businesses and purchased with donated funds, the cart has now rolled through the hallways for 25 years. Though Jarrett died in 2002, his parents and other volunteers have arrived every Tuesday to carry on his vision. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when visitors were severely limited, the Joy Cart team would bag up toys according to age and interest; Jennifer Mynear, Jarrett’s mother, ran virtual bingo games out of her home, awarding Joy Cart toys as prizes.
“It’s a way of keeping his legacy going,” said Jennifer. “Jarrett always felt like he was given the opportunity to be a voice, to raise awareness for other children, and for giving them moments of joy and giving them something to look forward to.”
The Joy Cart has gone beyond stuffed animals and coloring books, though — way beyond. Thousands of dollars have been raised to support patient education; a new sanitizing machine used to clean toys is now in the hematology/oncology unit thanks to the program; and there is now a $125,000 endowment to establish a sibling support group in the hospital’s palliative care division.
Cancer robbed Jarrett of seeing his 25th birthday, but Jarrett’s Joy Cart carries his legacy of care through the hallways he knew too well — and, with luck and determination, will keep rolling for another 25.