9/3 - Jess

We met Jess in December of 2016. She’s another kid from East Tennessee living with the remains of a brain tumor but off of treatment. Jess’s family has followed Tillery’s story from the beginning because their pastor is a good friend of our family. Even though they followed our story, they had not been ready to meet us for a long time because they still hold onto a hurt from their past.

Jess was diagnosed with a medulloblastoma in June of 2011 at the age of 14. She then had 30 rounds of radiation and 9 rounds of chemotherapy. Jess suffers from many lingering struggles as a result of the treatment that was needed to save her life but the biggest struggle she endures is missing her best friend.

While going through treatment, Jess met a boy named Joe and they became best friends and were even dubbed “Double Trouble” by the nurses who took care of them both. Joe was a few years younger than Jess but was the only person in her life who could truly understand what she was experiencing. They shared rooms in the clinic, spent nights in the hospital together, and formed an unbreakable bond. So when Joe relapsed, it broke Jess’s heart. She stayed by her friend until the end and continues to carry on his memory as the missing piece to her “Double Trouble” legacy. Having cancer isn’t the hardest part of Jess’s life, losing a friend to it is.

Tomorrow, Jess will turn 21. We are so proud of our survivor friend and wish her a happy birthday this year and for many, many more birthdays to come!

#doubletrouble #tilleryisloved #TILfoundation #alexsmillionmile #GoGold2017

To support childhood cancer research in honor of kids like Jess, make a donation to our team (TIL Foundation) with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. https://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/1314958