Wade continues a legacy at Red Mountain
November 30, 2022 by Adrian Carbajal, Arizona State University
Adrian Carbajal is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Red Mountain High School for AZPreps365.com.
December 23rd, 2018.
As families all around the country were getting ready to celebrate Christmas, the Wade family was spending theirs in the hospital. Zandra Wade, also known as Z, had complained to her parents that her stomach pain was too much to bear, and after imploring the doctors to complete a CT scan, they heard words that changed the family dynamic forever.
“Your daughter has cancer.”
Those words are hard for any parent to hear but for little brother Jameson Wade, he didn’t feel much other than confusion at the time. The then 10-year-old Jameson wasn’t allowed into the hospital to see his sister due to restrictions only allowing in people 13 years and older to see patients.
After school, his mother Shana would pick him up and take him to the local skatepark KTR and he would skate there every day from 3:30 p.m. till it closed at 9 p.m. He did that almost every day for three months while his parents went to the hospital to visit Z.
“He never complained, '' Jim Wade, Jameson’s father said. “He’s a tough kid. All he wanted to do was take care of his sister and after she was diagnosed he told her that he was going to be the ‘big brother’ now.”
For so long he had wanted to be like his big sister in every way. When she was into a certain thing, Jameson got into that thing. When Zandra joined Jiu-Jistu, Jameson joined Jiu-Jitsu.
So when Zandra passed on May 22, 2020, he knew that he had to follow in his big sister's footsteps and be exactly what she was: a fighter.
Fast forward to today and Jameson is a freshman at Red Mountain High School with the chance to “be like Z”.
Zandra was a standout athlete at Red Mountain and played on the girls varsity volleyball team her freshman and sophomore year as an outside hitter.
Jameson now plays at the varsity level as a freshman middle linebacker and has the potential to be a star athlete just like his sister.
In the nine games this season, Jameson has 20 total tackles, 10 solo tackles and has one interception. What’s even more impressive is that he’s been doing all of this in only his third year playing football.
Despite not being guaranteed a spot at the beginning of the year, Jameson has carved out a role for himself and credits this to the work ethic he picked up from his sister.
“She was always an inspiration, Jameson said. I always wanted to be like her and seeing the success that all the work she put in outside of practice, it definitely had an impact on me.”
“When he doesn’t pick something up, he’s just fanatic about figuring it out, '' Jim said. “He just wants to control everything that he can, so he never misses a workout.”
Jameson can always be seen dragging his gallon of water around with him wherever he goes and even chooses the bad tasting protein because in his words: “It’s supposed to be kind of a grind.”
Coach Kyle Enders raves about not only his work ethic on the field but the person he is and how quickly he’s become acclimated to the team.
“Whether it’s his conscious diet, extra workout sessions or ice baths, he does whatever it takes to get his body right,” coach Enders said. “He’s been through a lot but it hasn’t hardened him and he fits in with everyone which is crazy when you think about him only being a freshman this year.”
But despite having success and honoring his sister through football, continuing his sister’s legacy is about more than what he does on the field. It’s about being the best version of himself overall.
“It’s not so much being like her in terms of being an athlete for me, but more about being a better person,” Jameson said. “People that knew her always said that she had a positive impact on their lives and that’s what I take away most from her life.”
Zandra was exactly that, a person who brought so much laughter and joy to people’s lives even before her diagnosis.
“She was the funniest kid,” Jim said. “She had one liners and goofy comments for every situation. All she wanted to do was ride around in her jeep and hang out with her friends.”
In Jameson’s eyes, his sister was a person that was bigger than life.
When he walks around campus and talks to different students, teachers and faculty he is constantly reminded about her tremendous impact and how much she was loved by her community.
“I just want to be a better person and make an impact on people like she was able to do,” Jameson said. “That’s the legacy that I want to continue.”
He is certainly living up to Z in every way that he can, and his family continues her legacy in different ways as well.
Her mother, Shana, runs a Facebook page called Zandra’s Journey which started as a way for Shana to continue to keep Z’s legacy alive, and has turned into a place where others affected by childhood cancer can come and see that they are not alone.
They also partnered with Red Mountain’s version of Make-A-Wish “Dream Catchers” to give away a $3,000 scholarship to a student athlete in Z’s name.
The Wade family also looks to start the “Zandra’s Feathers Foundation” next year as a way to help raise money for other families affected by childhood cancer.
Jameson has also played a part in Zandra’s scholarship process as he helped decide, along with the rest of his family members, which anonymous student athlete would be best for it.
As we now approach the three-year anniversary of Zandra’s passing next May, and Jameson continues the rest of his career at Red Mountain, not only will Jameson live up to the legacy of Zandra Wade, but he will create his own in the process.
If you would like to learn more about Zandra’s Feathers or donate to the foundation when it is up and running in May 2023, click on the links below.
