Father honors athletes in daughter’s memory

Paradise Butler died on Father’s Day in 2014, 10 days short of her 20th birthday. Diagnosed with sickle cell anemia when she was 2 years old, she had battled through multiple blood transfusions and medical treatments that often left her fatigued and in full body pain.

This is a story of how her determination to live a full life in such a short period of time has inspired her father to pay tribute to young Jim Thorpe athletes who embody his daughter’s spirit.

‘A point of light’

When Paradise was old enough to understand the limitations of her condition, she became frustrated and angry.

“She was 11 years old and upset about what her body was going through,” said her father, Jave Butler. “She was too young to understand. She saw how other kids were doing all kinds of activities that her body didn’t have the energy to allow her to do, but she never quit on herself.”

Paradise took dance lessons. She became a cheerleader despite the fact that she missed weeks of school at a time with an unrelenting pain that went “right through to her bones,” as her father described it.

“The disease beat her down physically, and that took its toll both emotionally and mentally,” Butler explained. “But she persevered. She had no choice but to accept the fact that she had an incurable disease.”

Butler began to see a change in his daughter’s demeanor during her treatment and transfusion stays in the hospital.

“Paradise made an effort to make the other sick kids smile,” he said. “She played games with them. She was a point of light for these kids. They were happy to see her whenever she had to go back to the hospital.”

‘A pick-me-up moment’

Following Paradise’s death, Butler was still deep into his loss while he was coaching youth baseball and basketball in Jim Thorpe. Then one day, he found out that one of his player’s fathers had died during the basketball season. As he watched the boy, who was not a gifted athlete, try his best at practice, Butler had “a pick-me-up moment,” as he called it.

“I just decided to give the boy’s family a hundred dollars,” Butler said. “I believe my daughter’s spirit was inspiring me to start recognizing kids who have to overcome difficult obstacles.”

Paradise Gift Children’s Fund

As Butler continued coaching school-age children for the Jim Thorpe Booster Club, he saw more players struggling with health, personal and financial issues.

“Four years ago, I coached a boy who had a diagnosed medical problem with his heart,” Butler said.

“I saw how Mark gave everything he had to get better at playing basketball. I had another pick-me up moment to turn my loss of Paradise into another child’s gain.”

In 2017, Mark became the first recipient of the Paradise Gift Children’s Fund, a trophy awarded to a young athlete who has overcome a physical, emotional, or mental obstacle.

“The gift is not awarded to the best athlete,” said Butler, but rather to someone who never stops trying to get better.

“With a gifted athlete, you can easily tell when he’s giving his 100 percent and dominating the game, but with a kid who lacks natural talent, you have to see that his 100 percent, the very best he can do, may still leave him falling short of great athletic success, but he or she still has achieved accomplishment. That’s a success story, too.”

Butler talked about basketball players who, in the beginning of the season, can’t shoot the ball high enough to get the ball to reach the rim.

“Then because they gave their 100% to get better, you see them shoot high enough to score a basket in a game and the crowd recognizes this achievement and stands to applaud. There is no better feeling for a coach than to witness that. These kids that were once overlooked in athletic situations now have hope. They have confidence and not just for playing basketball in the gym.”

A special award

“I presented a Paradise Gift award to a young girl at her wrestling practice right in front of her peers,” said Butler. Ashlyn Coffey wrestles boys. She gets beat and goes right back to the war. Now that’s never giving up.”

Although Butler does not accept a dime to help him pay for the awards, he received a donation of $110 from Molly Maguire’s restaurant in Jim Thorpe. That money paid for two “Golden Registrations” that went to families who were unable to secure the necessary fees to allow their children to participate in the Booster Club’s sports programs.

On Feb. 15, the Jim Thorpe Booster Club held its annual banquet. Eighteen players were recipients of Paradise Gift awards. Special recognition was made to selected coaches and Booster Club board members.

A retired teacher of 45 years with no children or grandchildren in the program, Barb Karafky volunteers her time to coach. Greg Lazorick, who recently lost his wife to cancer, also gives of his time to coach every practice and every game. Board members Dave Strohl and Danielle Bollman were recognized for their tireless efforts of doing the necessary administrative work to ensure the young athletes have their best possible experience.

A family affair

For Jave Butler, coaching grade-school kids is all about building family and community.

“My son stands alongside me. He’s 15 years old and he gets it,” Butler said. “He sees the smiles on the kids’ faces and the pride in their parents. With my daughter’s spirit and inspiration, we are building character by merging love with community.”

To reward character is to continue the legacy of Paradise Butler.

“It’s easy to honor these kids,” he said. “Give credit to their parents. It’s no secret that good-natured kids come from good-natured parents. That’s how you pay it forward with positivity.”