Pink Arrow Perseverance Story: Mathews Family

In the weeks leading up to the Pink Arrow game on September 22, 2023, we will be sharing stories from Pink Arrow Pride. Don’t forget to mark your calendar for Community Day on September 7, 2023 when you can purchase your Pink Arrow XVI shirt at the Bob Perry Stadium at Lowell High School.

Hi, we’re the Mathews brothers. I’m JJ, a soon-to-be 18 year old senior at Lowell High School. And I’m Andrew- “Baby JJ” to some- a 16-year-old junior at Lowell. This is a story about our aunt, Meghan (Mathews) Beimers, who was born and raised here in Lowell (Class of ’08), and the difference she made in our lives.

We were born and raised in South Carolina and at ages 10 and 9 respectively, we were placed in the foster care system. We moved into a group home while our 5-year-old brother, Jacob, moved forty minutes away to live in a traditional foster home. The group home took a lot of adjusting, and normal childhood stuff like friends and sports weren’t options for us. It was especially hard being separated from our little brother. When we started going to Wednesday night church services with the group home, we had no idea God was already laying the foundation for our forever family. That’s where we met our adoptive parents, Jason and Julie Mathews. It was a long, frustrating process that we didn’t know was even happening at the time, but in March of 2018 after seventeen months in the group home, we were reunited with Jacob with the Mathews as our foster parents.

Jason’s sister, Meghan and her husband, Jordan, were foster parents in the Grand Rapids area, and when she found out about us and their plans to adopt us, she became their biggest cheerleader. When we met her, she already loved us like family and made sure we knew it. Andrew says, “she was very fun to hang around with from the times we spent together whether in South Carolina or when we visited Michigan. She was a very cool aunt.”

On November 7, 2019, about two months before Adoption Day, Aunt Meghan was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor called anaplastic astrocytoma. On January 28, 2020 we were officially adopted, and Aunt Meghan planned to fly down to be there for Dad, Mom, and the three of us, but because of a bout of pneumonia, her doctors strongly advised against it. That might have broken her heart a little bit, but she was still one of the first to congratulate us via FaceTime right outside the courthouse!

Aunt Meghan lost her battle with brain cancer on June 19, 2020, eight months after her diagnosis. Thankfully, we were able to make the trip in time to say goodbye. JJ says, “after she passed it was difficult because I didn’t get to know her as well as I would have liked. I knew she was special, I just didn’t get to have that relationship with her for very long. It was hard to see her pass at such a young age (30), but it really showed me who I can be when I face tough situations in my life.” Andrew says, “seeing her positive attitude during her battle with cancer, it showed me that I can fight through life’s tough experiences and do it in a way that gives God all the glory. I want to put Him first and serve him by becoming a youth pastor.”

We moved up to Lowell in August of 2021 and started a whole new life here in Michigan. We’re still not too happy about the cold weather up here, but being closer to our grandparents, Al and Jayne Mathews, along with our aunt and uncle, Abbey and Chris Sells, and our uncle Jordan, and all our cousins has been good. We can help support each other in our grief of losing Aunt Meghan.

We are both proudly wearing Aunt Meghan’s name on our jerseys, representing her at this year’s Pink Arrow game. She made such a difference to both of us in the little time we knew her, and we know she left her mark on so many others in her short 30 years. We’d much rather have her cheering us on from the stands during the game, but after all her support, love, and encouragement through our journey into this family, we’re proud to be able to honor her in this way.