Might as well Jump

words Mark Petruska

photos Jesse Brown Nelson

Like many children, Izabella Johnson enjoys jumping rope. But her motives run deeper than simply having fun; the Hill City 8-year-old does it to pay tribute to her late brother, Chance.

Izabella participates in Jump Rope for Heart, a fundraising event cosponsored by the American Heart Association and the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE). The program is designed to keep kids active and healthy while raising awareness of heart disease. It’s open to primarily elementary and middle school students across the U.S.

Izabella, a third-grader at Hill City Elementary School, is the youngest of Sarah and Brian Johnson’s five children; her siblings are Brenden (21), Jaxon (16), and Marisa (15). Another brother, Chance, was born with a heart condition and passed away due to a blood clot and other complications right before Christmas, 2009. Even though Izabella never met her brother, she is passionate about paying tribute to him through her participation in Jump Rope for Heart.

“I really wanted to help people like Chance,” she explains. “I didn’t want them to die like him.”

She was inspired by older sister Marisa, who stayed with her mom and brother in Omaha throughout Chance’s hospitalization. When they came back home, she joined Jump Rope for Heart and ended up training Izabella once she was old enough to participate.

Both girls’ fundraising efforts have been wildly successful. Izabella has been her school’s top Jump Rope for Heart earner for the past two years, collecting over $1,000 each time. Marisa claimed that honor for three consecutive years herself.

As the name of the program suggests, kids who join Jump Rope for Heart (the event in Hill City is open to all elementary school students) do a lot of jumping rope, typically during PE class. After setting a jumping goal, they raise funds by going door-to-door and collecting money once they have reached their goal. In a nod to modern times, there’s even a Jump Rope for Heart app available for smartphones and tablets that allows people from anywhere to participate. This is especially helpful for out-of-state friends and family members who want to contribute.

Izabella makes it a point to share Chance’s story with others when collecting door-to-door so they will understand why she is asking for donations. She is often accompanied by sister Marisa for moral support.

Izabella prepared a speech she wrote herself and practiced in front of her family for last year’s awards ceremony. Her PE teacher, Andra Swanson, announced that Izabella had finished in first place for the second consecutive year.

It’s not a surprise to Sarah that the Hill City community has been so supportive of both daughters’ efforts. “We had a lot of great support when we were going through that year and a half,” she says. “There were lots of people looking out for the boys while they were here in school, and lots of online communication and support for Marisa and I when we were down in Omaha.”

Jump Rope for Heart lasts three to four weeks each spring and includes a community performance where handouts and other educational materials are available for anybody interested in learning more about heart disease. All of this makes Izabella’s parents very proud of their daughter, especially given the fact that she never got to meet Chance. “I think it’s pretty awesome that she has asked questions and taken all of our stories about her brother and put them into this idea about helping other kids with heart conditions,” shares Sarah. “We call her our ‘Rainbow baby.’ She was our baby after losing a child, so she really takes that to heart, too.”

In her spare time, Izabella enjoys basketball, piano, singing, ice skating, and playing Monopoly with her family.

A scrapbook and photo album with care pages from the hospital is a treasured family heirloom; they have been able to share it all with Izabella, helping to forge a connection with a brother she never met but clearly loves.

Izabella is undecided about her future, but Jump Rope for Heart kicks off in March, and she intends on matching her sister’s record.