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WORDS: Lela Rast Hartsaw
PICTURES: Whitney Patton
Owner of TOP GU Flyboards, Jonathon
Brockhoff’s story has a message for
extGen Family Magazine readers: o
matter what life throws at you, you must never give
up, and never be afraid to follow the advice of a
good friend.
After attending elementary school at Palmetto
Christian, middle school at Manatee School For
the Arts, and graduating from Palmetto High
School, Jonathon was wondering what the best
direction for his life might be. It was then that a good
friend told him about the amazing opportunities
available through the welding program at Manatee
Technical College.
ot many go through childhood dreaming of
becoming a welder, but the job skills required for
a rewarding career can be attained at MTC, and
Jonathon’s friend was convinced it would be a good
t for his buddy. It turned out Jonathon’s friend was
absolutely correct.
Jonathon loved his experience at the school, which
at the time was called Manatee Technical Institute,
and was still at its original location near Bayshore
High School in SW Manatee County. At the time, Dr.
Mary Cantrell was the ever-enthusiastic principal
and driving force of the school.
The new campus was nearing completion. “The old
classroom was dark and dusty,” Jonathon recalls.
“We were the rst ones to use the new facility.
The new clean, brightly lit, and well-appointed
classrooms were outstanding!”
Jonathon did remarkably well in the course and was
hand-selected to be part of a special program with
one of the area’s largest employers. As Jonathon
was completing his certication, a job was secured
for him at Air Products. Jonathon’s future looked
as bright as a newly minted penny. He had a
guaranteed position, with a jaw-dropping starting
salary. Life was good.
The day he was scheduled to start this wonderful chapter in his life, Jonathon
instead had to walk into the ofce and inform his new employer that he had
been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and was about to embark on a
grueling course of chemotherapy.
Jonathon told them that if all went well, he expected a long recovery process
would follow. Sad to say, the company could not hold Jonathon’s position for
him, and he walked away with nothing as he began what would end up being
the longest, most difcult 10 months of his young life.