BY WENDI REARDON PRICE
Clarkston News Sports Writer
Jasmine Holler watched from the sidelines as her brother, Evan, intercepted Oxford’s pass and ran it into the Wildcats territory during the Chiefs Freshman White game at Clarkston Junior High School on Saturday.
He was happy she was there – his sister just finished six weeks of treatments for Acute Lymphocyte Leukemia (ALL), where she would spend 3-5 days at a time in the hospital
“It’s special,” said dad, Ryan. “When she’s in the hospital, he wants to be there with her. He isn’t mentally at practice because he wants to be there. He takes it to heart. It’s very special to see the family take care of each other.”
Evan has dedicated his football season to Jasmine, who is battling a cancer of the bone marrow and blood.
It’s not just Evan doing something for his sister. The entire Clarkston Chiefs organization as the Freshman and JV White teams host an Orange Out this Saturday and the Freshman and JV Blue teams will host one Saturday, Sept. 24 for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Both events begin at 11 a.m. at the junior high.
“We are thankful for everybody,” Ryan expressed. “It is truly amazing. We are very blessed to have families like this in our lives and be part of this family. The Chiefs organization is awesome. They aren’t just about football, they are about taking care of families. We are proud to be a part of that.”
Jasmine smiled, “I can’t even explain how grateful I am they are doing this and everything they have done. I am really thankful.”
“They are a wonderful family,” Amy Darnell, Freshman White Head Director, explaining the whole family is involved in Chiefs. Ryan is a coach and their mom, Gina, helps to give the boys water when she is available. Jasmine also helps with giving the boys water and brother, Eric, is at every practice helping out.
Jasmine became sick in early spring and at first the doctor thought it was mononucleosis.
“She had been sick for 2-3 weeks and she wasn’t getting better,” Ryan said. “Her doctor kept digging and kept thinking it was mono, but just to be sure sent us to Beaumont Hospital Royal Oak to get further testing.”
She had a blood test and had a bone marrow biopsy and was diagnosed with ALL at the end of March.
“It’s the hardest on her,” Ryan said. “It’s all the chemo treatments and being in the hospital. When she was diagnosed she was in the hospital for two weeks straight. Then, multiple hospital visits during the week and multiple spinal taps, blood transfusions, pokes.”
He added the Chiefs family and community are amazing through it all – checking up on them, bringing them food.
“They set up something called a meal train and they just bring stuff to our house. They leave food for us. It’s hard to express how thankful we are. There is so much love and appreciation to all of us and from all of us to everybody,” he said as his eyes glistened. “It’s tears of joy and it’s tears of what we have been through. Hopefully the end result is she beats it and lives a full normal life. She has been so upbeat. She keeps us upbeat with her smile. She is an outgoing person. She keeps us going.”
Jasmine was pulled out of school in April and had a teacher and Homebound Services to continue her education.
“There were days I didn’t feel the best and I still did my work,” she said. “When I did feel good I would appreciate it and do more things.”
The next step in treatment is oral chemotherapy if her doctor feels she has progressed enough. If she has, she will have check ups once a week.
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month and the community is invited to wear their orange “Losing is Not An Option” tees during the Orange Out, which support #TeamJazz during Chief home games this Saturday and next Saturday. A limited amount of tees are available for purchase with proceeds going to the Holler family and the Chad Tough Foundation.
The community is also invited for Sweat, Food and Fun and Clarkston Crossfit this Saturday at 7 p.m. Please bring a donation of at least $20 per person. Jen and Scott Vogt, from the JV White family, will donate all money collected to the Holler family. A potluck will follow, please bring a dish to pass and your own beverage.
Another way is to help is to join the food train which provides meals to the Hollers and can be joined by going to https://mealtrain.com/y69key.
For more information, please contact Darnell at amyMdarnell@yahoo.com.

  Clarkston Chiefs, Orange Out