Stacey and Erik
heard the most dread words any parents can hear. Their
twelve-year-old daughter, Jessie, had an inoperable brain tumor. The
family was devastated praying to God to heal Jessie. They couldn't
think of anything else to do.
Bit Jessie was a
very special little girl. Instead of focusing on her own plight, she
noticed that some of the children fighting cancer had to stay in the
hospital and couldn't go home the way she could. She wanted to help
them – to make them smile. From this desire was born the concept of
Joy Jars, jars filled with toys and goodies that were passed out to
hundreds of children during Jessie's short life.
If you're a parent,
this is a very hard book to read. It could have been written as the
perfect family faces cancer together, but Erik's book is more honest
than that. The family has many crises. There were strained
relationships between grandparents who wanted to help and the parents
who were carrying most of the burden. Reading it, you realize that
Jessie's slogan, Never Ever Give Up, has a special meaning for
parents, too.
If your family has a
child fighting cancer, I highly recommend this book. Even if you are
lucky enough to have healthy children, this book makes you realize
how lucky you are, and encourages you to do what Jessie did – help
others.
I reviewed this book
for Handlebar Publishing.
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