KERNERSVILLE, N.C. — A chance meeting at a concert turned into the forever Youngs.
"He was the one, absolutely, absolutely knew it," Amy Young shared.
In 2008, she met her future husband, Jaime Young, in their home state of New York. The next few years were a blur: traveling, getting married, and then moving to the Triad to be close to family. Not long after relocating to Kernersville, Jaime changed careers from sales to law enforcement. He made an impression from the start.
"He was always helping people. He always wanted to do what he could and would go the extra mile. He was very passionate about helping people," UNCG Assistant Police Chief Christopher Jasso said.
Young moved up in the ranks at the UNCG Police Department during his nine years there. During that time, he earned many awards, including UNCG Officer of the Year in 2019 and UNC System Officer of the Year in 2020 for outstanding service. His personal life also flourished, and he had his first child, Gracie, and then his son, Maverick, named after the lead character in his favorite movie, Top Gun.
"How proud are you of him?" WFMY News 2 evening anchor Julie Luck asked.
Amy Young responded by saying, "I wish I could've said it more. I didn't say it enough because I was so proud. He was so good at being a dad, officer, and husband. He loves me. He loved us."
The Youngs' lives changed in April 2023, just weeks before he planned to schedule a routine colonoscopy. Jaime was 45 years old and knew it was time to get screened as recommended by doctors. Sudden bleeding led to a shocking stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis. He had no family history, and up until then, he had no symptoms.
"He was always in tune with his health. He thought he was the specimen of health. He was a police officer, cared for himself, and ate well," Amy Young said.
The Youngs immediately took charge, making new memories and living life fully. One week after the cancer diagnosis, Jaime and Amy moved up a planned family vacation to Disney and renewed their vows while in Florida.
"We wanted the kids to see how much we loved each other and how much we were in this fight together," Young expressed.
Fight is what he did, not letting cancer stop him. He underwent radiation and at least 18 rounds of chemotherapy, but even in the middle of treatments, he climbed all 110 flights of stairs during a 9/11 stair climb event to honor the lives lost during the September 11 attacks. Young started the annual event at UNCG.
"He not only found the time to do it, but he also threw on his uniform, his outer vest, his duty belt and climbed all 2,200 stairs," Assistant Chief Jasso said.
Amy Young added, "He did it every year and was not going to falter. It meant a lot to him to do it. He wanted to show everyone that cancer and treatments did not matter. It still meant carrying on with life."
Cancer took Sgt. Jaime Young's life on Feb. 25, 2024, after a 10-month battle. Now, Amy is taking on the role of protecting and serving by being an advocate and pushing the importance of screenings.
"It meant so much to him to leave something behind besides being a father, husband, and police officer. If you could save just one more person from this, just one more means a lot. I know he would want me to do this," Young said.
Colon cancer is now the number one cancer cause of death among men under 50 and number two for women under 50.
Doctors stress the importance of preventative screenings to save lives. When caught early, the colon cancer survival rate is over 90%. The recommended screening age is 45 or earlier if patients have a family history or symptoms, including blood in the stool, abdominal discomfort, and a change in bowel habits, such as diarrhea or constipation.
MORE WAYS TO GET WFMY NEWS 2
Subscribe to our daily newsletter Let’s Get 2 It!
Download the WFMY News 2 APP from your Apple or Google Play store.
ADD THE WFMY+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for WFMY.
Amazon Fire TV: Search for WFMY to find the free app to add to your account. You can also add the app directly to your Fire TV through your Amazon account.