by Dennis Dalman
Thanks to a chance meeting, $2,500 was donated to the family of Jaymeson Miller, a Sartell boy who is battling a form of brain cancer.
Jack Paulsen of Sartell, president of a fundraising group called “Gary’s Players” and a Sartell Lions member, explained to the Newsleaders how the happy coincidence happened.
Kevin Primus, Paulsen said, was visiting at the Blue Line Bar & Grill in Sartell when a woman walked in with a letter in her hand. She introduced herself as Carissa Miller, a young woman from Foley who was soliciting funds to help pay for the medical costs of her younger brother, Jaymeson Miller, a cancer patient. That news instantly piqued the attention of Primus, who is a member of “Gary’s Players Memorial Golf Tournament,” a local, Sartell-based organization that raises money to fight cancer and to help patients suffering from it.
Kevin Primus is a brother of Gary Primus, a popular Sartell high-school teacher and coach who died of cancer in 2019. Four years ago, Kevin and others formed the golf-playing charity organization – “Gary’s Players.” In 2022, that group raised nearly $18,000 for the Coborn’s Cancer Center.
At the Blue Line Bar & Grill, Primus listened to what Carissa had to say.
“You came across the right person,” he said.
Then he told her about “Gary’s Players” and how it had just held its annual golfing fundraiser. He said to Miller he would discuss a possible contribution at a meeting of the group. Later at the meeting, the members decided to donate $2,500 to help Jaymeson Miller. The core members of “Gary’s Players” then presented – at a fundraising event – the check to Jaymeson’s father, Adrian.
Jaymeson
A front-page story published in the Nov. 17, 2023 Newsleaders detailed 12-year-old Jaymeson Miller’s battle with cancer. Written by reporter Madison Evans, the story was a vivid, heartwarming account of Jaymeson’s extraordinary courage and good humor after having a brain tumor (medulloblastoma) removed during a surgical procedure at the Mayo Clinic. Side effects of the surgery caused Jaymeson to lose – at least temporarily – the ability to eat, speak and walk. Since then, he has been undergoing rigorous physical therapies, besides ongoing radiation and chemotherapy treatments.
The son of Heather and Adrian Miller, Jaymeson is a sixth-grader at Sartell Middle School. The boy is beloved by classmates, family and others as sweet, kind, caring and always concerned with others and their feelings. He also has a quick, lively sense of humor.
To learn more about Jaymeson, visit the website TeamJaymeson.com. There is also a Caring Bridge link on that site and a GoFundMe page to help Jaymeson and his family cover substantial medical costs. Yet another link is one for Mister Carwash, which has been partnering with efforts to raise funds.
Jaymeson Miller
