Jessie
Rees was eleven years old and on a competition swimming team when one
day she had trouble seeing. An MRI revealed a tumor located in the
pons, right in the middle of the brain stem and interwoven with the
nerves – diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma. It was inoperable.
Jessie's
dad, Erik Rees, shares Jessie's story through his eyes. He writes
about the diagnosis and the prognosis of twelve to eighteen months.
Jessie saw other children fighting cancer and asked what they could
do to help them. JoyJars were created, plastic jars stuffed with
goodies for kids. Treatments began. A Facebook page was created and
an early comment resonated with Jessie: “Never ever give up.” She
adopted it as her mantra and shortened it to NEGU (knee-goo).
Rees
is very honest about the toll on his family and the stress placed on
relationships. He's honest about his arguments with doctors
originating in his frustration with their failure to offer
experimental treatment. He writes about the lessons they learned from
their use of social media, the bad experiences with thoughtless
responses from others. He shares his anguish of praying for healing
again and again and his struggle with doubts about God.
He
takes us through the treatments, the victories, the defeats, the
second tumor, and the decline. He writes about his determination to
see his daughter's mission to bring joy to juvenile cancer patients
fulfilled.
This
is an inspiring book about the difference one young cancer patient
has made in the lives of many. Rees has written this book with the
goal of increasing awareness of childhood cancer and increasing hope
in people who are dealing with difficulties in their lives.
“I
believe if we take the time to listen to our hearts about the things
that bother us in the world and make the decision to do something
rather than just feel bad about it, we can make life so much better
for others and or ourselves.” (84)
The
ministry that Jessie inspired goes on in the Jessie Rees Foundation.
You can find out more about it at http://negu.org/,
www.jessie.org,
http://www.jessicajoyrees.com/,
and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/JessieReesFoundation. You can watch a video on how the Jessie Rees Foundation got started
here.
The
only thing that makes this book less than perfect is the
concentration on the father's experiences. He has included a chapter
about himself, titled “becoming daddy.” I felt his wife and
Jessie's mom, Stacey, was absent most of the book. Finally, on page
165 he writes, “This reminds me to say that my wife, Stacey, is
simply amazing.” He goes on with his admiration of her but it just
seemed odd to me that most of the book centers on his experiences and
his feelings. About Jessie's headaches, he writes, “Thankfully, she
didn't have any on November 19, which was my forty-third birthday.”
(171)
Erik
Rees is the chairman of the Jessie Rees Foundation. Through his
leadership, Jessie's mission to encourage every kid fighting cancer
to “Never Ever Give Up” is becoming a reality. He and his wife
live in Orange Country, California, with their two children.
Jenna
Glatzer is the author or ghostwriter of twenty-four books. Find out
more at www.jennaglatzer.com.
Zondervan,
240 pages.
I
received a complimentary copy of this book through Handlebar for the
purpose of an independent and honest review.
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