BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — The Broken Arrow High School football team will have a special sticker on their helmets this season. The yellow ribbon is a symbol of support for children battling cancer.
Their ribbons will specifically honor 6-year-old Jayniaha Buntin. The little girl may have to lose her left eye after getting diagnosed with retinoblastoma.
“Jayniaha I just want you to know how much you inspire these guys and me,” said Head Football Coach Josh Blankenship. “We’re going to try to fight like you fight because you’re awesome and we’re proud to be a part of this thing with you.”
Blankenship was holding back tears talking to Jayniaha at the team’s practice Wednesday. He says her story resonates with him as a father.
“He and Jayniaha are really determined to fight and to battle,” Blankenship said.
It’s been a battle for nearly a year and came as a total surprise to Jesse Buntin and his wife.
“My wife, she’s on it, she takes the kids to the eye doctor every year to get their eyes checked, and we just went and as soon as we went, they checked it, and they found it,” Buntin said.
Doctors discovered the cancer on Oct. 24, 2021. The routine check uncovered a mass in Jayniaha’s left eye. Almost immediately the family was connected with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.
Jesse and Jayniaha visit the hospital three days at a time, every three weeks.
“She’s a fighter,” said Buntin. “She told me not to worry. She goes, ‘Daddy, I’ll beat cancer. I’m stronger than cancer.’”
Retinoblastoma, a pediatric eye cancer, is curable. Buntin says doctors caught it early in his little girl. The process now is to get rid of the tumor. That’s been a challenge so far.
“It’ll go down and come back,” said Buntin. “It’ll go down and come back. It will shrink and then it’ll grow again.”
Buntin says doctors have told him if the mass is still there by December, they may have to remove her left eye completely. It’s been a difficult time for the family, but the silver lining has been the support they’ve received from their community.
“It’s been a struggle, but it’s also been awesome to see who has your back when you need them,” Buntin said.
Before becoming the Director of Broken Arrow Youth Football, Buntin was the bus driver for the high school team. It was that job that connected him with Blankenship.
When Blankenship heard his story, he knew he had to get the team involved to help.
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“These young men that I’m around all the time, that’s the kind of stuff that they need to know about,” Blankenship said. “There are things, obviously it’s not just cliche, that are much bigger than football.”
He rallied the football team captains including senior Chance Marick.
“It was really tough to hear that someone so young is going through that much pain and stuff,” Marick said.
Senior Dietrich Moore also helped with the planning.
“I think it’s a big deal,” Moore said. “I think everyone that’s involved is really excited about the process and what we’re going to be doing.”
The football helmets in the locker room show the yellow ribbons. It’s a nod of support for children battling cancer, and specifically 6-year-old Jayniaha.
“The thing that’s always impressed me about Broken Arrow since I’ve been here is how much of a tight-knit community it is,” Blankenship said. “So, if we can give a little wink to let them know that we’re with them on this, I think that’s a big deal.”
The team will wear the stickers the rest of the season and bring a little of Jayniaha’s fighting spirit with them on the field.
“Have her on my mind maybe and can maybe have a little more of an edge,” Moore said. “Just push me a little bit more.”
There’s a St. Jude Walk/Run on Sept, 24 that will raise money for the organization that provides treatment to children with cancer at no cost to their families
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