Make-A-Wish kid Jayla Kemp, 11, from Fulton, Missouri, celebrates for a moment before she chooses as much as she wishes Wednesday at Funko in Everett. The “Welcome Jayla” sign is for her, and Make-A-Wish Foundation really did make it happen for this preteen who suffers from cystic fibrosis. (Dan Bates / The Herald)

Make-A-Wish kid Jayla Kemp, 11, from Fulton, Missouri, celebrates for a moment before she chooses as much as she wishes Wednesday at Funko in Everett. The “Welcome Jayla” sign is for her, and Make-A-Wish Foundation really did make it happen for this preteen who suffers from cystic fibrosis. (Dan Bates / The Herald)

Funko opens its doors to Make-A-Wish recipient

Cystic fibrosis patient Jayla Kemp, 11, and her dad share a routine built around Funko fandom.

With all the shopping zeal a preteen girl could muster, Jayla Kemp dashed through Funko’s headquarters in downtown Everett.

“Mom, let’s go to ‘Star Wars,’” the 11-year-old called out. Racing toward a row of shelves in what looks as much like an amusement park as it does a store, she asked “Where are the Porgs?” Grabbing a box with an owl-like critter inside, she was gleeful. “I found the Porgs.”

Full of energy, in jeans and a T-shirt, Jayla looked like any happy girl on an outing with her mom, dad and little brother. On Wednesday, she was on a serious hunt for Pop! figures, the big-headed, big-eyed vinyl collectibles created by Everett-based Funko.

“Are you having the best day ever?” Michelle Kemp asked her daughter. In visiting Everett’s new tourist attraction, which opened in August, the best day ever was the goal.

Jayla has had cystic fibrosis since birth. Her family’s trip to Funko was granted by the Missouri chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, with help from Make-A-Wish Alaska and Washington. Her family lives in Fulton, Missouri, a small town a half-hour’s drive from the University of Missouri in Columbia.

A genetic disorder, cystic fibrosis affects cells that produce mucus, sweat and digestive juices. Normally thin fluids are instead thick like rubber cement. The condition, which shortens life expectancy, can cause severe damage to the lungs, digestive system and other organs.

It’s a double-recessive genetic disease. Michelle Kemp said she and her husband, Jason Kemp, are both carriers, which they didn’t know when they married. “It’s considered an invisible disease,” she said. “Jayla looks completely normal and healthy, but it requires a lot of work to maintain that.”

Every day, Jayla needs several hours of airway clearance and breathing treatments. She wears a compression vest twice a day, 30 minutes each time. “She takes 30 pills a day, and takes four inhaled medications,” her mother said.

A sixth-grader at Fulton Middle School, Jayla can be well for months. But a common cold means a trip to the hospital. Those hospital stays may last two weeks, “with IV medications to knock back whatever is growing in her lungs,” Michelle Kemp said.

Jayla’s brother Dylan, 6, also has cystic fibrosis, but has so far been in better health than Jayla.

“We do have our hands full, but that’s our normal,” Michelle Kemp said. “It’s our routine.”

Jayla and her dad have another routine built around Funko fandom — they’re what the company calls “Funatics.”

“Jason started collecting them, it was something they did together. They go on Pop! hunts,” Michelle Kemp said. Day trips from home take them to St. Louis, Kansas City, Jefferson City and Columbia, Missouri, and to Quincy, Illinois. From store parking lots, they race each other to find a prized Pop! figure.

Funko’s Everett headquarters, in the former Trinity Lutheran College building, has collectible figures, plush toys, clothing, backpacks and more that the Kemps would never find in a big-box store back home. There are Disney heroes and villains, DC Comics and Marvel figures, “Star Wars” characters, anime items, a world inspired by Harry Potter, and an assembly line to make your own Freddy Funko or Monster Pop!

Store manager Liz Lawson helped Dylan choose a head, torso, legs and accessories for his custom-made figure. “Jayla, look at my monster,” the boy said to his sister.

She was busy, though, filling 27 hand-held shopping baskets, which surrounded the store’s check-out area. “She can get whatever she wants,” said Hilary Gray, Funko’s marketing manager. Jayla loaded some items into a new Funko backpack to keep with her, but the company was shipping the rest back to the family’s home.

Jessica Mathews, communications manager for Make-A-Wish Alaska and Washington, said the chapter here grants about 300 wishes each year. Since its start in 1986, the local chapter has granted more than 6,600 wishes. More kids might be helped, Mathews said, if parents knew that wishes are open to children whose conditions are progressive, degenerative or malignant, not only to those with terminal illnesses.

The Kemps stayed in a downtown Seattle hotel. Before going home, they visited the Pike Place Market, and planned to take a harbor cruise and see the Seattle Aquarium.

“We are back in Missouri, exhausted but filled with gratitude,” Michelle Kemp posted on Facebook late Thursday.

At the Funko store Wednesday, Jayla was quick to answer when asked which is her favorite Pop! figure.

“All of them,” she said. “It’s like asking about your favorite child.”

Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460; jmuhlstein@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Olivia Vanni / The Herald 
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County.
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mukilteo mayor vetoes council-approved sales tax

The tax would have helped pay for transportation infrastructure, but was also set to give Mukilteo the highest sales tax rate in the state.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring gives the state of the city address at the Marysville Civic Center on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Marysville, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Marysville council approves interim middle housing law

The council passed the regulations to prevent a state model code from taking effect by default. It expects to approve final rules by October.

x
State audit takes issue with Edmonds COVID grant monitoring

The audit report covered 2023 and is the third since 2020 that found similar issues with COVID-19 recovery grant documentation.

Bothell
Bothell man pleads guilty to sexual abuse of Marysville middle schoolers

The man allegedly sexually assaulted three students in exchange for vapes and edibles in 2022. His sentencing is set for Aug. 29.

Larsen talks proposed Medicaid cuts during Compass Health stop in Everett

Compass Health plans to open its new behavioral health center in August. Nearly all of the nonprofit’s patients rely on Medicaid.

District 2 candidates differ in public safety approach

Incumbent Paula Rhyne is facing challenger Ryan Crowther. The third candidate, Jonathan Shapiro, is no longer seeking the seat.

From left to right, Edmonds City Council Position 3 candidates Joseph Ademofe, Alex Newman and Erika Barnett.
Amid budget crisis, Edmonds City Council candidates talk revenue, affordability

Three newcomers are facing off for Position 3 on the council, currently held by council President Neil Tibbott.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

Everett
Everett approves new fines for non-emergency lifts

The fire department will only issue fines for non-emergency lift assists at licensed care facilities, not for individuals at home calling 911.

Guns for sale at Caso’s Gun-A-Rama in Jersey City, New Jersey, which has been open since 1967. (Photo by Aristide Economopoulos/New Jersey Monitor)
After suing, WA gets carveout from Trump administration plan to return gun conversion devices

The Trump administration has agreed to not distribute devices that turn semi-automatic… Continue reading

The Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility about 16 miles east of Ellensburg in central Washington is part of Puget Sound Energy’s clean energy portfolio. (Courtesy of Puget Sound Energy)
Megabill’s elimination of tax credits for clean energy projects could cost WA $8.7 billion

Washington households could see electricity costs increase $115 per year by 2029; 21,800 workers could lose their jobs by 2030, analysts say.

Everett mayor candidates focus on affordability, city budget in costly race

As incumbent Cassie Franklin seeks a third term in office, three candidates are looking to unseat her.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.