‘Be A Good Human:’ Dozens celebrate Jaysen Carr’s heavenly birthday

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - The family of Jaysen Carr gathered dozens and dozens of his friends to celebrate his heavenly birthday on Saturday at Altitude Trampoline Park in Columbia.

Jaysen was a student athlete at Hand Middle School. He died over the summer after contracting a rare amoeba at Lake Murray.

He would have been 13 years old on October 3.

“We can’t keep this from everyone because it didn’t only just hurt us, it hurt an entire community,” Clarence Carr, Jaysen’s father, said. And now we’re bonded together, and we’re going to get through this together.”

His parents said celebrating at his favorite hangout spot was the perfect way to keep his spirit alive.

The support was overwhelming, and they said it was no surprise that so many children came out because their son was loving and inclusive.

READ MORE: Family fights for change following son’s death from brain-eating amoeba infection

“They’re still pouring in,” Clarence Carr said. “Kids, we haven’t seen in months, a couple of years. But they have a common bond, and that’s Jaysen.”

The children filled the trampoline park, bouncing, laughing, and honoring their friend, who they say had a gift for bringing people together.

Nearly every person wore a “Team Jaysen” t-shirt.

His friends put their fingerprints on a ceiling tile that will be placed in the hospital room where he was treated.

“It’s just beautiful to see how many souls that he touched and how many that actually cared about him,” Ebony Carr, Jaysen’s mother, said.

Jaysen was a gifted and ambitious athlete, musician, and wise beyond his years, his parents say.

He spent his free time volunteering and had dreams of becoming a baseball player.

“He just really loved God,” Ebony Carr said. “He loved his friends. He was compassionate. He wanted to help.”

The Carrs said the event was not just about remembering their son, but about how he lived.

“He did not want to see someone else fail,” Clarence Carr said. “If he had to push them or pull them, he was willing to do whatever it took to be in their corner. And I admire that. Still today, I admire that.”

They say the outpouring of love from this community has helped them through the most painful moments of their lives.

“It would be really selfish of us to celebrate alone,” Jaysen’s father said.

Among those celebrating was Thomas Pohlmann, one of Jaysen’s best friends.

“He was just that one guy that never ran out of energy,” Pohlmann said. “Jaysen was the glue that held everybody together. He was the bright spot of your day.”

Reflecting on all this love, his parents said they want people to remember a message he tried to embody: be a good human.

That message was on wristbands that were handed out to everyone in attendance.

“You never know what someone else is going through,” Clarence Carr said. “A smile, a simple, kind gesture, may change the course of their day. So I just leave everyone with be a good human.”

“Be a good human, that’s what Jaysen was,” Ebony Carr replied. “He was a good human.”

His family has started the Jaysen Carr Be a Good Human Foundation.

Funds will go to support a scholarship for a student athlete at Dreher High School.

This month, there will be a baseball tournament with those funds going toward research and a cure for the amoeba that took his life.

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