If you had ever met 12 year old Jessie Rees, you might have thought she was just another
typical middle schooler, a kid with plenty of friends who loved to swim and enjoyed spending
time at the beach near her home in Southern California.
But what no one knew about Jessie was how she would soon affect the lives of thousands
of children.
2011 started off like any other year but everything was about to change.
The tapestry of the Rees Family changed forever on March 3, 2011.
That was the day that Stacey and I were told that Jessie has a brain tumor.
Sometimes doctors can be a little dry in their delivery and it was just so 'Jessie has cancer
and you have 12 to 18 months, im sorry.'
Faced with this devastating news, their lives were quickly overtaken with doctors appointments,tests
and treatments.
Because her cancer was not something that could be treated in terms of cured, they put
us on a clinical trial, and that clinical trial consisted of thirty rounds of radiation,
followed by a daily dose of chemotherapy.
And so we would get her in the car and drive up to childrens hospital orange county and
she would go into radiation and radiation was hard but she never once complained, she
didn't.
With all that Jessie was going through, you could understand if she felt like giving up
or if she wanted the focus to be on her own needs and worries.
But instead, in one instant Jessie revealed what she was really made of.
About two weeks into the treatment plan, we were getting in the car and driving out of
the parking garage there and Jessie was sitting in the back seat and my wife stacey was next
to me and Jessie said, mom and dad when do all the other kids come home?And so I remember
pointing at the third floor of childrens hospital orange county I said honey theres lots and
lots of kids that actually have a different treatment plan and they spend days and days
and months and months and unfortunately some spend years getting their treatment there.
The next words that she said have literally changed our lives, she said "then how can
we help them?"And it was like what did you just say?And I remember looking at my wife
because she was fanning her eyes trying not to cry because our whole family has been torn
apart where we are in chaos and Jessie is saying lets help the other kids.
When they got home, Jessie's parents went inside where they could privately talk about
the next move for Jessie's treatment plan.
As for Jessie, well she had a much different plan in mind.
She came out and had gotten some brown paper bags and I was like 'your serious about this?'
And she says 'yeah I really want to help the kids that cant leave the hospital'.
Shes got like 4 or 5 of them that shes already completed and I was like well let me talk
to the hospital and make sure that we know its ok and then whatever they say lets do
it.
"Its fun to know that you can brighten someones day and make it better."
Jessie and her dad delivered the first batch of toys to the childrens hospital but first
were asked to replace the bags with plastic jars.
And after seeing the look on children's faces, Jessie knew she had to do more.
More toys, more jars and more joy for children.
She also needed to give her jar a name.
That weekend, we sat around as a family and Jessie's middle name was joy and so we took
joy and jars and just created JoyJars!
And so began Jessie's JoyJars.
Word quickly spread to other hospitals and soon the requests for JoyJars began pouring
in.
And Jessie was determined to fill every one.
She started ordering toys online and stuffing them with her family and friends in the garage.
But with the demand for JoyJars still escalating, this too would not be enough.
We decided to create a foundation and I remember asking Jessie I said, Jess, do you want your
foundation to be about care or cure.
And she said care, daddy.
And care she most certainly has.
Through her Jessie Rees Foundation, Jessie's JoyJars are being stuffed to the very top
then shipped to kids all across the country.
And her message to Never Ever Give Up or NEGU is being spread too.
Encouraging families dealing with cancer and other threatening illnesses.
Jessie continued to inspire kids and stuff as many JoyJars as she could.
Right up until she lost her fight with cancer on January 5, 2012.
Jessie personally suffed 3,000 JoyJars during her fight today we have sent out over 123,000
JoyJars to Courageous Kids in all 50 states, and 30 countries.
We have great partnerships with over 260 childrens hospitals and 175 ronald mcdonald houses.
And I know Jess would be just smiling so big knowing we are doing something right.
Its working.
Kids are getting help.
We hope someday the cure people find cures and put us out of business.
That'd be a great day.
But until that time we will help all of the kids 46 new children a day are told they have
cancer.
And so there is lots and lots of children out there that are in chaotic worlds that
are lonely and spend lots of time by themselves in hospital rooms.
She said daddy i want everybody to get a JoyJar I want everybody to be told to never ever
give up.
And so thats what we do.
With everyones help Jessie'sJoyJars could someday reach every child in the world with
cancer.
And that would be good.
But perhaps Jessie's greatest gift can be found in the courage she showed that day in
the car when she asked that simple question "How can we help them?"