Jessie's Joggers
Walk With Us. Wish With Us.
We are Jessie’s siblings and family, and we walk to give back to the Make-A-Wish foundation for the positive impact they had on our family.
Our kid sister Jessie caught a cold at two years old, which over the course of several months turned into pneumonia, which led to seizures, then a medically induced coma and weeks on a ventilator, and ultimately a diagnosis of HLH, or Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis, a rare and potentially fatal disease where certain white blood cells become overactive and attack the body. This was followed by a surgery to place a port, and a round of chemotherapy to fight the HLH by shutting down her immune system and “rebooting” it to stop attacking her body.
During this time, the Make-A-Wish organization approached our family and ultimately granted Jessie a wish. Just as she finished chemo and was released from the hospital, with her balding, peach-fuzz brown hair, her body still a little puffy from treatment, Jessie, our parents, and all of us 5 older siblings left Minnesota for Disneyworld.
For several months, our recently blended family had come together over the real fear that our kid sister may never come home again. Now, our family got to relax, have fun and come together creating new, fantastic memories from “The Happiest Place On Earth”.
As we celebrate Jessie’s 18th birthday this year, we ask for your support in giving back to this foundation that make wishes come true for kids and families in the darkest of times and shines a beacon of light and hope where it’s so desperately needed.
Will you help me support Make-A-Wish by donating today?
*Gifts made through this fundraising campaign are a gift to the entire Make-A-Wish mission. The needs shown are symbolic of the common wish elements associated with each wish and are only representative of our many wish-granting activities. Gifts made will not actually be used to purchase the item or grant the wish described. All gifts will be pooled to meet the needs of Make-A-Wish.
