Former Jazz Bear battles cancer, remembers young patients who always smiled

Jon Absey on Jan. 6, 1997, as the Jazz Bear, a position he held for 24 years. Absey has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but is strengthened by young patients with cancer and other terminal diseases who continue to smile. | Kristen Jacobsen, Deseret News SOUTH JORDAN, Utah (KSL.com) — He was there when Michael Jordan scored his last basket as a Chicago Bull in Game 6 of the NBA Finals at the Delta Center in 1998. He saw Karl Malone play his last game as a member of the Utah Jazz and when he returned as an LA Laker in 2003. And, he witnessed John Stockton’s jersey retirement ceremony in 2004. Jon Absey was at the Delta Center for those important basketball events, and more. For 24 years, he was there for everything — from the comfort of his Jazz Bear mascot get-up. But those aren’t the moments that top his list. Absey’s focus in the Delta Center was on the fans, moving from section to section, trying to get everyone to smile. As Jazz Bear, away from the Delta Center, he spent his time with younger fans, especially those with a terminal illness, but with the same goal: to get them to smile. Jon Absey stands with his friend Neil Anderson after they filmed an episode of “Return to Real” for Anderson’s YouTube channel in January 2020. | Courtesy photo These days, the memories of those children — who smiled and laughed despite their diagnoses — continue to warm his heart as much as they did then. Following his own diagnosis with cancer, Absey knows how difficult it is to smile. But remembering those children who smiled anyway reminds him that he can do the same. “I used to look at these kids — smiling — thinking about how incredible they were. I used to think, ‘They are so strong,’” he said. “Now I see how important it is to be positive. I always enjoyed being out in the community when I was the Bear, but those kids stayed with me. And they still do.” For the most part, Absey has always been a positive guy. You have to be in order to be a mascot for a professional sports team: the high energy, the love of people, the ability to move all over the arena for at least two hours, and getting the players to do skits with you. Positivity is key, especially when it is easy to be tired, physically and mentally. But when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in late February/early March, positivity took a back seat, as it would for anyone when they hear they have a 20% chance of being alive in five years. The positivity did return, however. Seven mascot friends from other NBA teams came to visit him. His wife and daughters are taking care of, well, everything, meaning he does not have to see the burdens of cancer every day. His friends are also around, not only to help with whatever needs to be done, but to remind him of the positive vibes he shared with everyone — not just as the Jazz Bear. Absey has always been a man who thinks of others, his friends say. The diagnosis slowed that down for a while, but now Absey is back to being the same guy. “I used to work security for the Jazz and you’d see him trying to put a smile on people’s faces,” said Jeremy Beck, Absey’s friend. “And now, what gets me is he is actually thinking of others. … I have to tell him, ‘You can’t give everything away.’ He’s even thinking about people who are setting up things to help him!” A native of Minnesota, Absey is a walking example of “Minnesota-nice.” Cancer has not changed that, everyone says. And when asked why — why he doesn’t stay home and rest — Absey is clear: Those kids in the hospitals could have stayed in their beds and cried, but they continued to smile. He has lived a fortunate life, he says. For 24 years, this man, who was not a sports fan and not all that interested in watching the game, worked for the Utah Jazz as their mascot, traveling along the Wasatch Front visiting people, but especially children who got excited at just the sight of him. Jon Absey, as the Jazz Bear, hugs a patient at Primary Children’s Hospital. | Jon Absey via Instagram Cancer may end his life earlier than he would like, but that does not mean he has to sit and be angry. If he learned anything from the children in hospitals, it’s that we all have something to smile about. “They’re still smiling, still sharing everything … they’re my inspiration. Those kids were going through some tough stuff, and they kept on smiling,” Absey said. “My odds of living long aren’t that great, but I’m really blessed.” The Absey family has started a GoFundMe* account to help cover mounting medical expenses. “Jon has always been a fighter — whether it was performing gravity-defying stunts or supporting countless charitable causes. He’s given so much to the community, and now it’s our turn to give back,” the webpage states. View this profile on Instagram Jon Absey (@jon_absey) • Instagram photos and videos //www.instagram.com/embed.jsThe post Former Jazz Bear battles cancer, remembers young patients who always smiled appeared first on East Idaho News.
Source: eastidahonews.com