Known as “the girl with the pink guitar,” Jamey Geston is a 12-year-old Carpinteria Middle School student and thriving musician.
But even at such a young age, she has already embarked on a life-changing journey. In January, after befriending 8-year-old Kourtney Najjar, a San Diego girl who was born with intestinal failure, Jamey was inspired to begin a program she calls Compassion with Passion.
“Compassion with Passion is a program where I use my music to help others and use other people’s talents to help people, too,” Jamey said. “Our slogan is: ‘Helping others one song at a time.’”
The nonprofit program raises money and resources for various causes through benefit concerts and donors. Kourtney, who has been in the hospital more time in her life than she’s been at home, is the inspiration. She has a rare congenital disorder called neurogenic pseudo-obstruction, commonly referred to as intestinal failure. Kourtney needs a new pancreas and small and large intestine. She also suffers from osteopenia, which causes her bones to be brittle and break, and chronic anemia, which necessitates multiple blood transfusions.
Kourtney must be fed intravenously to provide for more adequate nutrition. This method for sustenance can result in bacterial infections and possibly liver failure, which could lead to the need for a new liver as well. A single transplant can cost more than $1 million. Kourtney has been living at the UCLA Medical Center since July and has remained on the hospital’s transplant waiting list the entire time.
She and Jamey were introduced through Facebook by a friend who read about her on the Web site of kourtskrew.com, a nonprofit organization raising money for children like Kourtney. Since then, Jamey has been visiting Kourtney every month.
“We just hang out, we watch TV, we do each other’s makeup,” Jamey said. “Kourtney watches a lot of Disney Channel so we talk about that and watch shows from that. We draw a lot together.”
And, of course, they talk about music. Jamey first played guitar and sang for Kourtney on her 8½ birthday. Kourtney was unable to celebrate her real birthday since she had just undergone an organ transplant, which was later rejected. But that day set off a relationship that has affected both girls profoundly.
“I feel that maybe I might not be helping with getting treatment for her right away, but I know it just brightens up her day,” Jamey said. “Whenever we talk to her mom about coming down, she tells Kourtney and Kourtney just gets so happy. She gets really excited. I know it just brings a smile to her face even if it’s just for that day.”
Kourtney gets many visits from her family, friends and celebrities who visit the children’s hospital. Kourtney’s even a bit of a diva herself, Jamey says.
“There are these things called bomb bags and she throws them at the doctors and they explode,” she said. “It’s really funny. She’s kind of a troublemaker! But I don’t know … it’s hard to explain. She’s just … herself. She’s so unique. It’s not like she’s trying to be perfect.”
Not only does Kourtney have a large group of people helping her, but she has also changed Jamey’s way of thinking about her own life.
“She’s actually made me more grateful for what I have — like to be as healthy as I am right now,” Jamey said. “Thinking that someone out there is not as healthy as I can be, it just makes me really give thanks for what I have. So, she’s actually inspired me a lot.”
Jamey plans to have Kourtney and her Compassion with Passion program grow with her and her music career.
“I see music taking over my life,” she said. “It’s just what I do every day. Like after homework, maybe even during homework, I play guitar and sing and I’m always listening to my iPod. My mom even gets mad at me sometimes for doing it because I’m singing or playing instead of cleaning or doing chores like that! So I think that maybe if I ever make it bigger than now, I’m going to just use that as much as I can. Anything that makes me bigger, I’m going to just incorporate all the Compassion with Passion stuff with that.”
But Jamey needs time to do normal 12-year-old girl things as well. She attributes the balance she maintains in her life to being organized.
“I go to school at 8:30 and get out at 3,” she said. “I go home and usually get homework started right away. Well, usually I eat something first, actually! After that I have tutoring, or guitar lessons, or singing lessons so I do that. Then I play more guitar. On weekends I put homework off until Sunday and then hang out with friends and with Kourtney before that.”
Jamey’s a busy girl with a self-described folksy sound influenced by artists like Taylor Swift (“of course!” she added), Ingrid Michaelson and Hayley Williams.
On June 19, she’ll be co-hosting an event with actress Alana Ethridge and her program Alana’s Achievers to fundraise for Kourtney’s second transplant. The concert will take place from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Cuvier Club, 776 Eads Ave. in La Jolla, and will be streamed live to Kourtney at UCLA. Jamey is still looking for donor funds that will help her provide a successful event so Kourtney can have the support she needs in a hospital 150 miles away from her home and family. Click here to help.
Jamey has played with musician Glenn Leopold at the Rock Solid Realtors Group’s open house at 277 San Ysidro Road. She’ll be participating in the 2nd Annual Buddy Walk & Festival to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month at Chase Palm Park’s Great Meadow, 323 E. Cabrillo Blvd., from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 18.
— Noozhawk intern Erin Stone can be reached at estone@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Become a fan of Noozhawk on Facebook.