Monday, March 17, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Jason York lived to learn and in the end he hoped to inspire others to learn to live.
York died from complications in his fight against cancer Thursday. He was 20.
After being diagnosed Oct. 1, 1992, during his sophomore year of high school, Jason didn't ask, "Why me?"
"He just accepted each day as a challenge and made it the best that he could," said his mother, Landa.
As part of that challenge, the Las Vegas native went public. He began addressing groups of cancer patients, volunteering with Candlelighters for Childhood Cancer, and telling his story of hope.
"He wanted people to know that they could do anything and that their lives were worthwhile and not to give up ever," Landa said. "He fought to the very end."
Jason York created quite a stir as he ambled along walkways at UNLV on his way to class, accompanied by an oxygen tank or a bag of vital fluids attached to an intravenous tube protruding from one arm -- or both.
He was forced to quit school this semester, when walking the halls just became too much for him. He was eventually confined to bed when he could no longer handle the exhilaration of walking around his room. But even then his favorite pastime was reading and talking with friends. Landa said they brought his bed out into the living room so that Jason could always be in the middle of the action.
Jason had checked out of the hospital to begin classes at UNLV last year.
Since he was diagnosed with leukemia, he had divided his time between school and the hospital. He had submitted to a litany of medical procedures -- including an open biopsy, kidney biopsy, bone marrow transplant, radiation therapy and multiple brain surgeries.
During high school, he didn't let the cancer invading his body keep him from maintaining his grades well above average, becoming Rancho High School's senior class president and assuming rank among the top 10 cross-country runners in the state following a period of remission.
"It was great to come back from all that and still prove I could do it, do anything," he told the SUN in August from his hospital bed.
The year before the diagnosis, York had clocked the fastest time among freshmen running a mile or two-mile cross-country event.
On Thursday, the Southern Nevada Cross-Country Coaches Association presented his parents with a plaque simply stating, "Jason York, exemplary youth."
Jason had slipped into a coma at about 1 p.m. before they could present him with the honor, and he died at 8:08 p.m.
"The plaque really said it all. He was a great kid and a real inspiration," said Larry Adams, vice president of the coaches association.
Adams was not Jason's coach but knew him well because his son, also plagued with leukemia, shared a hospital room with Jason on several occasions. Adams' son is now a sophomore at Brigham Young University.
Jason received a full scholarship to UNLV after earning A's in all four of his classes despite a rigorous schedule of treatment at the hospital. Those treatments got rid of the cancer but ravaged his body in the process, leaving him prone to complications and infections.
He ultimately died because his lungs no longer had the capacity to expand.
Last year, York explained why he liked to speak of his experiences.
"It can be a real help to people who are newly diagnosed. They hear about what happened to me and they maybe think they can make it too."
His mother said she hopes people remember his life more than his death. On Friday, she got her wish as listeners of KFM 102-FM bombarded the station with requests and words of remembrance for Jason as she drove around making funeral arrangements.
"Some of them didn't even know him. It was quite extraordinary," Landa said. "Jason always wanted to go serve a mission (for the Mormon Church) because he wanted to help people and make a difference, but I don't think he realized that he did that just by being Jason."
A memorial was to be held this morning at a North Las Vegas Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints center. At his request, York will be buried at Woodlawn Cemetery. He wanted to be close to his alma mater, Rancho High School.
Jason is survived by three younger siblings, Stacey, Kimberly and Sheena; his parents, Landa and Danny; two sets of grandparents and 16 sets of aunts, uncles and cousins.
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