How Jaylah Martinez was Granted her Wish to Exhibit her Art in LA
When Jaylah Martinez has a paintbrush in hand, it’s like a conduit between the emotions within and the canvas. Like many teens, the budding artist has voiced big dreams for her paintings. In Jaylah’s case, she envisions them displayed in a modern art gallery in Los Angeles.
However, unlike most teens, Jaylah faces struggles with her health. The high school honors student from San Antonio, Texas, is battling a rare and aggressive form of cancer. Last August, she was diagnosed with stage IV Renal Medullary Carcinoma. Prior to her diagnosis, Jaylah was an active teen who had taken on various leadership roles, from serving as Ambassador for the city of San Antonio, to designing and creating public art projects for Blue Star Contemporary’s MOSAIC Student Artist Program. Sadly, due to her health, Jaylah has been forced to step aside from her extracurricular activities.
Last December, Jaylah learned her dream of showcasing her work in LA was about to come to fruition. Make-A-Wish Central and South Texas made an announcement during a pre-show exhibit at North Park Subaru Dominion, which had set aside part of their showroom for unveiling Jaylah’s paintings during the annual Subaru Share the Love Event.
Jaylah described the themes and inspiration running through her colorful paintings; her spiritual connection with God, celebrating life on earth, and the comfort of familial love. Wearing bold silver earrings and a brilliant smile, Jaylah looked every bit the artist she was born to be.
“It feels good to know there are so many people in my life who are just supporting me no matter what,” said a teary Jaylah. “And I’m very grateful for these people. Because they’ve helped me a lot.”
Jaylah’s upcoming LA exhibit will be held end of this month. Despite her diagnosis, the high school junior is looking ahead to other life ambitions. Jaylah wants to attend college, major in biochemistry and become a research scientist, with the aim of finding a cure for cancer.
Jaylah’s unveiling was also an opportunity to help other kids in her community who are facing a critical illness. The exhibit was held in conjunction with Pack the Outback Toy Drive, which encouraged families to donate enough toys to fill a new Subaru Outback in support of Make-A-Wish Central.
Kathrin Brewer, Make-A-Wish chapter president, said “The heart of the matter is, the wishes granted are more than a nice experience. Wishes have the power to transform lives by providing hope and the ability to experience life beyond illness.”
To learn more about how you can help grant more wishes to children who are faced with a critical illness, visit www.wish.org.
By T. DeRose
