Dedication, determination, and community: Jaedyn Masterson’s road to graduation

La Porte High School Senior Jaedyn Masterson crossed the stage to receive his diploma on June 4 with the support of his family, friends, and Northwest Health Physical Therapist Derek McMahan. Just the week prior, Jaedyn Masterson was admitted to Northwest Health’s Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) in Portage following a central nervous system infection that left him too weak to walk.

At just 19 years old, Jaedyn has already had more than his fair share of life struggles. Diagnosed with brain cancer at a young age, he has been in and out of hospitals his entire life.

“Jaedyn is a St. Jude patient, and has been through so many struggles in his short life,” Robbie Masterson, Jaedyn’s uncle and guardian, said. “He was even bullied in school because of a learning disability from the amount of chemo and radiation treatment he’s had to undergo.”

Jaedyn’s biggest struggle occurred at the end of 2023, when his mother passed away. She’d always wanted to see her son walk at graduation, and Jaedyn took that desire to heart. Alongside a tattoo in honor of his mother, he’s carried with him an unwavering determination to graduate.

As graduation approached, however, a central nervous system infection required immediate hospitalization, and it became unclear if Jaedyn would recover in time for the high school’s ceremony.

“We started off in another hospital before being transferred to a hospital in Munster. There, Jaedyn was on the life support system for about nine days, and then remained in the critical care unit for an additional eight days,” Robbie Masterson said. “Jaedyn’s mom really wanted to see her son walk the stage, and not knowing whether that was going to happen really had him down.”

Leaving the hospital, Jaedyn was experiencing great difficulty walking and using his left arm, something he and his uncle worried would prevent him from graduating alongside his peers. That’s when he was referred to the Northwest Health IRF in Portage and met McMahan and the rest of the team.

From the get-go, McMahan was inspired by Jaedyn’s determination to graduate.

“Right off the bat, he was talking to me about graduation,” McMahan said. “In my head, I immediately started seeing how he was performing and knew that he would still be a patient in the rehab unit, needing help after graduation. I was just saying, ‘Oh man, that might be tricky.’”

While initially McMahan wasn’t sure Jaedyn would be recovered enough in time for graduation, Jaedyn’s sheer determination and willingness to work towards this goal, coupled with Robbie Masterson’s support, led McMahan to find a solution.

McMahan joined the Mastersons at La Porte’s graduation to provide additional help to Jaedyn with his needs during the ceremony and ensured he safely climbed up and down the stage.

“Seeing how motivated Robbie and Jaedyn were, and how hard Jaedyn was willing to work, I just felt the need to help,” McMahan said.

Robbie Masterson has also been in contact with the school to help Jaedyn receive the accommodations he needs. The support Jaedyn has received from his community has been incredibly encouraging.

“It’s overwhelming that so many people came together to support this and ensure that he got to honor his mom’s wishes and walk that stage,” Robbie Masterson said. “This means so much to Jaedyn, and to see all the support is tremendous.”

In addition to McMahan volunteering his evening, the Mastersons had a hairstylist from La Porte drive to the Northwest Health Rehab facility in Portage to ensure Jaedyn looked exactly how he wanted for the evening. La Porte’s teachers also made sure Jaedyn could be dropped off close to the stadium so he didn’t have to overexert himself just walking to graduation.

Jaedyn’s success is heavily supported by both his uncle and McMahan, who are going above and beyond to make sure Jaedyn succeeds.

“We’d never met Derek before, and he stood up and volunteered his evening to make sure Jaedyn can do this,” Robbie Masterson said. “That shows his heart and his generosity.”

As Jaedyn joins the Class of 2026, his tattoo connecting him to his mother, he can smile knowing all of his hard work has paid off.

“He’s one of the strongest people I know. It would have been so easy for him to give up, but he is such a fighter,” Robbie Masterson said. “I am just so thankful for everybody who has reached out and assisted in putting this together.”