6 MARCH 2020 By Melissa Hirschl As an Arcadia High School sophomore, Jack Guzman’s life was immersed in a kaleidoscope of rich and promising experiences. A member of the school’s basketball team, his life revolved around school, friends and extracurricular activities such as cross country running. Last fall, Jack broke some ribs when a friend playfully jumped on him. His story should have ended with a routine emergency room visit. Unfortunately, the incident was a portent of something much more serious; something no one saw coming. In December, Jack was diagnosed with leukemia, a blood and bone marrow cancer affecting mainly children and teens. “Doctors recommended he be taken to Phoenix Children’s Hospital,” said Randy Guzman, Jack’s dad. “That’s when they discovered his blood pressure and hemoglobin were very low. The next day they told us he had leukemia.” Jack’s mom passed away from cancer in 2015, so this diagnosis was particularly devastating. According to Randy, Jack’s “new normal” now consists of bi-weekly spinal taps, weekly chest drips and daily chemotherapy pills. To compound his medical merry-go-round, the chemo treatments have caused Jack to lose most of his hair. To empathize with Jack, some of his basketball teammates decided to pay tribute to the power of brotherhood and solidarity by shaving off their hair. “We did it to make him feel more comfortable about losing his hair, and let him know he’s not alone on this journey,” explained friend Owen Shaw. “He’s one of our teammates – now and forever.” Julie Poplawski, the mother of Jack’s teammate James, was as enthusiastic about her son’s buzz cut as he was. “At first I wondered what he was into, but as soon as I found out why he wanted to cut his hair, I couldn’t get the clippers out fast enough. There are so many negative stories about teens you hear in media,” Julie said. “It’s nice to know that some of our teenagers are just good kids trying to support each other.” Randy said that the response from their immediate community has been overwhelming. Dinners and gift certificates from friends and neighbors came flooding in, and a good friend of the family in New York City began a GoFundMe page to cover Jack’s medical bills. Despite the battery of medical treatments and having to be home-schooled now, Jack remains very positive, according to his dad. “He was scared and upset at first, but he is a good kid who is strong and kind.” Jack’s basketball coach, Stephen Danford, reflected on his relationship with Jack as a player: “He has been an inspiration to all of us. Kids sometimes feel things are worse than they are, and Jack’s illness puts things in perspective. Jack is one of the happiest kids – easygoing, a hard worker, and excited about everything. This whole incident really brought home how fortunate kids are to be happy and healthy.” For more: gofundme.com/f/1uemkar8yo. AHS students come together to support one of their own (back row) Finn Rewinkel, Coach Phil Lozevski, Tyler Rosenfield, Coach Corey Bruce, Maverick Cavanaugh. (middle row) Will Lozevski, James Poplawski, Jaguar (JQ) Alewine, Luke Traynor, Thomas Faulkner, Evan Clayton. (front row) Kemp Van Es, Lane Spiekerman, Jack Guzman and Colin Christofferson. PHOTO: AUDREA WALSHIRE MARCH SPECIALS Desert dwellers’ path to achieve awe-inspiring results The Premier Phoenician Facial $85 Designed exclusively for desert dwellers Spring Training Hangover IV Therapy $99 Don’t miss your favorite games! Baby Lip Plump - 1/2 Syringe & Botox Lip Flip $375 Purchase 2 Syringes of Voluma and Get Your Crows Feet treated for free (20 units of Botox) For all of those who will squint in the sun… Luxurious Medical Spa in the heart of Arcadia Skin Bar | Injection Bar | Wellness Bar | Vibrant Body CALL 480-422-2058 TO SCHEDULE A PERSONAL CONSULTATION. VIBRANTSKINBAR.COM 4325 East Indian School Road, Suite 130 | Phoenix AZ 85018 FOLLOW US: @vibrantskinbar

7 MARCH 2020 By Rhys Lee Love is usually a word used in the context of romance. However, perhaps the greater call to love that is often overlooked is the call to love thy neighbor. High school student Emma Jazo has decided to answer that call with her third annual Teddy Bear Drive. In 2017, when Jazo was in eighth grade, she came up with the idea of the Teddy Bear Drive to try to make Valentine’s Day a little better for children who are spending time in a hospital. “I’ve always loved kids,” Jazo said, “and stuffed animals are what would make me happy when I was younger, so I thought that this would be a way to make their Valentine’s days a little better.” The first year of the drive, Jazo secured only a few drop-off locations and received 85 bears. The second year, she expanded the number of drop-off locations and received 197 bears with the help of Jennifer Steele, who works at La Grande Orange. This year’s drive, however, was a little different. “The main thing that is different is that I created a GoFundMe so that people who couldn’t physically come in and donate could still contribute,” said Jazo. She raised $525 through her GoFundMe page. For this year’s drive, Phoenix Children’s Hospital asked Jazo to raise money for a certain kind of stuffed animal – plushies called “I heart guts.” These stuffed animals are in the shape of organs for kids with diabetes in need of transplants. Jenni Rogers, a child life specialist at Phoenix Children’s Hospital said, “When a child is diagnosed with diabetes for the first time it can be really scary to learn all about their body, cells, medication, and the importance of diet. By having the plushies, it provides the child not only the comfort of a soft, squishy item but can also become a tool to help the child or teen tell their story to others when they’re asked about the plushie, which helps normalize their experience.” The organization behind “I heart guts” donated 20 plushies and provided Jazo with a special discount so she could purchase more with her raised money. Currently, all plushies go to the Phoenix Children’s Hospital, but Jazo is hoping to reach out to other places as well. In the future, Jazo hopes to pass the torch to another person when she leaves for college. “I would also like to possibly get other businesses to sponsor it so that I can branch out and do much more. I would love to raise bears for foster kids possibly and, one day, be able to pass them out myself to the kids in the hospital,” Jazo said. This year, Emma was able to donate 67 “I heart guts” plushies, 68 new stuffed animals, and with last-minute donations (a total of $270), 20 “stem cell stuffed animals” from giantmicrobes.com for the hospital’s stem cell unit – a total of 155 animals. Arcadia teen’s third annual Teddy Bear Drive a success Emma Jazo, Jenni Rogers, Suzanne Berner and Anna Wright. Each played a part in the donation and drop off of the stuffed animals. PHOTO COURTESY OF EMMA JAZO By Madison Van Nortwick Mane Attraction Salon is bringing together good hair and furry friends during their 20th annual Beauty to the RESCUE fundraiser, which benefits animals in need across Maricopa County. The salon is partnering with the Phoenix Animal Care Coalition (PACC911), a group that brings together various animal organizations throughout Arizona to help dogs find permanent homes. RESCUE is a non-profit volunteer-driven animal rescue that was founded in 1995. The name stands for Reducing Euthanasia at Shelters through Commitment and Underlying Education. Beate Assmuth-Ong, owner of Mane Attraction, was inspired to start the Beauty to the RESCUE fundraiser almost twenty years ago after spending time volunteering with animals in the community and adopting her own dogs. “I wanted to do more than just volunteer,” Assmuth-Ong said. She decided to help raise funds for animals in the community by starting a charity drive. Since that first event, Mane Attraction Salon has helped raise over $340,000. Dogs will be available for adoption at the event. Last year three dogs went home with Mane Attraction Salon staff. “All of our team members are big animal lovers,” Assmuth-Ong said. Assmuth-Ong looks forward to the 20th anniversary of Beauty to the RESCUE because it is a happy day for the community as well as the businesses. “Knowing we are helping and impacting so many homeless cats and dogs...seeing how we can directly impact their lives and give them a second chance is just a wonderful feeling,” Assmuth-Ong said. Beauty to the RESCUE will take place on Sunday, March 1 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mane Attraction Salon on Camelback Road. Guests can listen to music, enjoy some pampering, browse a variety of boutique vender booths, bid on silent auction items and a raffle for a chance to win a year of beauty services and $500 in cash. For more: pacc911.org. 20th annual RESCUE fundraiser helps animals in need COURTESY OF MANE ATTRACTION SALON 16420 N 92nd St Suite 220 / Scottsdale AZ 85260 AZ Broker License: MB 0949356 / Broker NMLS: 1775059 Scott Osborn NmLS 171728 scott@formulamortgagecapital.com