Fear, excitement, joy, and peace filled his insides as the scoreboard-keeper stood in the sweaty air of the gym while the varsity boys basketball team headed out for a second half of court play. After the information he received, he couldn’t help it; he wanted to explode in happiness. He picked up the microphone and shouted, “Trevor Jenks is getting a heart!” The entire gymnasium burst into excitement with loud cheers. Twelve years later, this singular moment for high school teacher Corey Baird has stuck with him.

“Trevor and I knew each other very well,” Baird said. “We were both going through health problems. I was going through my cancer just a year or two earlier, and he was going through waiting for a heart.”

Born premature with a heart condition called TGA (transposition of the great arteries), Trevor required several pacemakers throughout his young life. His 11th pacemaker stopped working when he was 16, leaving him with a weakened heart and on the donor’s list for nearly a year at the University of Michigan Hospital.

“Everyone knew him, but not just because of his condition,” said Baird. “What was so special about him was his attitude. He was always happy regardless. It’s hard to not root for a guy that has that kind of perspective on life.”

Being avid tailgaters, and having a love for U of M decided plans for any average fall Saturday for the two.

Trevor received his first heart in his junior year when he was 17 years old.

“I never thought about a future,” his sister Sara Lewis recalled his saying after his transplant in 2003.

Trevor had battled heart problems his entire life; although, his heart never prevented him from pushing his limits.

At 29, Trevor passed away leaving behind the love of his life, his future wife, Kristen Zarycki, brother Nick Jenks, and sister Sara. After complications from a second heart transplant and multiple infections, Trevor died on February 14.

English teacher Elizabeth Cyr echoed the thoughts of many community members that day on Facebook. “Like so many, I was privileged to call Trevor a friend. On this day devoted to love, it seems impossible to be saying goodbye to someone who defined the word. May we all be inspired to live in his example,” Cyr said.

Stockbridge High School, the staff, and students were always a huge support for Trevor and his family.

“Thank god he went to Stockbridge, a school that has always been enthusiastic and full of spirit, so he could help spread the joy he felt every day,” said Lewis.

Trevor grew up in Stockbridge and made the most of his life.

“My brother was every cliche about life in the book. If you wanted to meet a guy that lived life to the fullest, spent each day like it could be his last, and just truly loved living, all wrapped into one, that was Trevor Jenks,” said Lewis.