Overcoming Tragedy By Helping Others

Mother’s Day is about celebrating the sacrifices in which moms throughout the community make every day for their children.

Few parents have made more sacrifices than 40-year-old Amy Ramsey, who, in April 2020, lost her 5-year-old son Jett after a year-long fight with brain cancer.

“It’s like losing a limb and trying to find it all the time,” Ramsey said. “You always kind of feel like a part of you is missing. But I would say that our hope comes from God and that’s what has gotten our family through.”

Ramsey is the owner of Jett&Rose – a home decor and gift shop in Corralitos – and loves working every day, proudly in the name of her son.

Being the mother of her two oldest children is her greatest joy in life, and motherhood has always been her most vivid life goal.

But it has not come without immense challenges and heartbreak.

“My favorite part about being a mother is watching my kids grow up and develop attributes I taught them like kindness and loving others,” Ramsey said. “And watching them conquer hurdles and overcoming obstacles. My kids have had trauma – they’ve had to watch their little brother die and for me, I had to work even harder because that’s so hard.”

While she worked as a stay-at-home mom before the passing of Jett, she worked as many as three jobs at once and found herself wanting to be around kids – whether it be as a teacher’s aid or Twin Lakes Church.

Ramsey is grateful every day for the help from family and friends during the darkest times of her life – traveling the country to find Jett the best care during seven months of chemotherapy including an 11-hour brain surgery and 30 rounds of radiation.

After Jett’s passing, she felt disconnected and began searching for a reason to look forward to the end of each day.

“I was just trying to find out where I was supposed to be,” she said. “Like where was my purpose?”

Out of the blue, her friend who owned the building of Jett&Rose at the time asked her if she would like to run the business – to which she was unsure.

With some thought and financial assurances, she eventually leaped at the chance.

Aside from being a mother, Ramsey had always dreamed of owning a business while growing up in Santa Cruz but didn’t think it would become a reality at 39 years old.

“It’s a lot of work but it’s really fun,” she said. “By being there I’ve gotten to meet a lot of people in the community.”

Ramsey lives with the intention to help as many people as possible, and make her community a better place for others.

“What goes around comes around,” she said. “And so far it’s come around for me.”

Since opening Jett&Rose, Ramsey has donated money to a plethora of organizations geared to help children – specifically those suffering from cancer –including Saint Jude, Jacob’s Heart in Watsonville, Rio Del Mar Elementary, Second Harvest Food Bank, and others.

For a month straight, she auctioned off items at her store and raised over $3000 to pediatric care – which she plans on doing again and involving other shops in the area.

“The fact that I can have a job that I love and still give back to my community and pediatric cancer has been a real blessing,” she said.

Ever since her loss, Ramsey has seen the world from a new perspective – in which even the smallest of things like a pretty sunrise or the sound of laughter give her a newfound appreciation for life.

It has also taught her to care less about superficial achievements from her kids like making the sports team, but to rejoice in their health and happiness.

To other mothers who have gone through similar loss, Ramsey implores to “not give up hope. Because when you lose a child it feels hopeless and it feels like your life is over. But it’s not. If you focus on the children, life and blessings that you do have and learn to be grateful through your grief it will help.”

Jacob’s Heart Spring Soirée will be on May 18 from 4-8pm at the Taylor Building in Old Salinas to help kids in the area going through what Jett did.

Mother’s Day is on May 12 this year, and for Ramsey it will be a time to appreciate all the love her children have for her.

“If you have healthy children, you have won the lottery in life,” she said.