TAKING A BREAK — Martin County West senior guard Karson Janssen (center) and teammate Zach Anderson (left) catch a breather from a basketball game during the 2019-20 high school season while Maverick assistant coach Jeff Sinn watches the action on the hardwood court. Martin County West High School and Karson’s family and friends will hold a Hoops for Heart event in his honor during the Mavericks’ basketball games on Friday, Feb. 18, in Trimont. (Photo by Greg Abel/Sentinel Archives)

TRIMONT — From the moment we are born, our parents worry about us, nurture us, educate us and protect us.

During the past two years, the world has become overwhelmed by the increasing number of variants of the covid-19 pandemic and its potentially lethal effects.

While the general populace sometimes forgets about maintaining our overall health and fitness in these challenging times, there also are diseases that are not easily diagnosed and can have devastating results.

Unfortunately, Kent and Jolynn Janssen of rural western Martin County know this fact all too well. The couple lost their 19-year-old son, Karson, to undetected myxomatous degeneration of his heart on Nov. 11 at the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity house on the University of Minnesota campus in St. Paul.

The condition is caused by a mitral valve disease, and while people are not born with it, the disease can be hereditary.

After finding out the medical examiner’s report about the untimely death of Karson, the Janssen family — father Kent, mother Jolynn, and siblings Karter, Kennedy and Kooper — knew they wanted to help others from suffering a similar fate through heart awareness and education, in conjunction with creating a lasting legacy for their late son and brother in an honest and respectful way.

“They say it takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a team of brave hearts to help someone survive the loss of a child,” said Jolynn.

Indeed. The Janssen family initially established a scholarship in Karson’s memory, but Jolynn’s and Kent’s vision was not complete. With the assistance of their countless friends and neighbors in Martin County, the first Karson Janssen Memorial Hoops for Heart project literally evolved into a mission.

The mission statement is: one, to give scholarships to others to encourage personal growth and a healthy lifestyle; two, to provide CPR training in the Martin County West and University of Minnesota communities; three, to raise awareness that it is never too early to take care of your heart. Don’t overlook, don’t assume; and four — Karson’s life motto — be nice, be neat and be humble.

Appropriately, the Hoops for Heart event will take place this month — which is heart awareness month, during the Martin County West Mavericks’ girls and boys basketball teams’ games on Friday, Feb. 18, at the junior high building in Trimont.

The Maverick boys’ B-squad will tip off the athletic tripleheader against Hayfield at 4:30 p.m., followed by the Class 1A No. 3-ranked MCW boys varsity team against Class 1A No. 1-ranked Hayfield at 5:45 p.m. The MCW girls varsity squad will cap the hardwood court action, tipping off at 7 p.m. against Class 1A No. 2-ranked Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s.

The theme for the Hoops for Heart event will be “Red Out,” with everyone encouraged to wear red to support the American Heart Association’s message. The AHA will host a booth and hand out a limited number of red T-shirts in honor of Karson, in addition to providing information about heart health care.

There will be a silent auction, a bake sale, face painting, and a pass the bucket fund-raiser — performed by Karson’s AGR Lambda chapter brothers, members of the fraternity’s sorority and former MCW classmates — during halftime of the varsity games.

All proceeds will go to the Karson Janssen Memorial Scholarship Fund and heart awareness/education in the Martin County West and University of Minnesota communities.

Prior to the Hoops for Heart event, K-12 students at MCW will be selling red paper hearts for $1 through Friday, Feb. 11. Donors can write the name of a loved one on the paper heart or leave a heart-healthy message.

MCW basketball players in grades 7-12 also will be collecting pledge money for a free-throw shooting challenge. People can give a flat donation or give money per free throw made.

Karson, a former MCW athlete, was a sophomore at the University of Minnesota studying in agricultural communication and marketing, with a minor in sports management, prior to his untimely death.

“We have been members of this community for 30 years. There have been many blessings through the years, but none so more important than the kindness and love shown to our family after this tragic loss of our son Karson,” said Kent Janssen. “Without our strong family core, the support of our friends and this community, and our strong faith in God, we could not have weathered this storm.”