That’s the same number of Joy Jars that Jessie Rees gave out to children affected by cancer before she died of terminal brain cancer at the age of 12. Jessie thought with empathy for other children like her and knew how to build a young patient’s resilience with a Joy Jar filled with gifts, toys and – because so many children lose their hair during treatment – ​​hats. The Jessie Rees Foundation honors her legacy by hosting Mobile Joy Jar events across the country and distributing hundreds of thousands of Joy Jars to children around the world.
Jessie’s motto was “Never Give Up” (NEGU).
MY LAST WIFE KIM TEACHED ME HOW TO HONOR OUR LOVED ONES BY FOCUSING ON SOMETHING THAT WILL KEEP US STRONG
My sons and I have supported the Jessie Rees Foundation since my wife, Kim, died of cancer almost five years ago. We will always be grateful to Jessie for showing us the path to philanthropy, which helped soothe our broken hearts. We are also very grateful to the generous corporate sponsors who make this mission possible.
We understood that this day was more important than most for children fighting cancer. We built a bond by connecting to something bigger than ourselves. And we learned a profound lesson from Jessie: Joy flows in both directions – from the child who opens the Joy Jar, back to the person who filled it.
John Roberts is a busy man. He brought his wife and two children, who undoubtedly could have done many other things that day, but chose to join our mission. Just like my dear friend and former CIA colleague Alan, whom I have known for almost forty years; my son Nathan’s football teammates and their parents; Leo, a high school basketball star who underwent 60 chemotherapy treatments for a benign but invasive desmoid tumor in his back; and so many other family members and friends.
Nathan’s elementary school teacher, who herself was undergoing treatment for cancer while raising two young children, crammed Joy Jars into the entire three-hour morning shift, as did a mother whose son received a Joy Jar years ago while battling childhood cancer.
He lost his daughter to childhood cancer. BUT HIS LOVE AND HER LEGACY ARE STRONGER THAN EVER
A U.S. Army officer who happened to be working out in our gym—and demonstrated the kind of situational awareness you’d expect from a member of the armed forces—saw our group and immediately volunteered. He’s been filling Joy Jars all day. He was married and had three children of his own. He took time to thank Nathan for his public service and presented him with an army coin.
When I met Erik Rees before our first Mobile Joy Jar event in 2022, we shared a heartfelt moment about losing our loved ones to cancer. “I miss my daughter every day,” Erik told me, “but she would be very proud.”
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Jessie would indeed have been proud of us, as would my Kim, who told our children before her death that she would be their guardian angel and watch over them.
Jessie Rees brings out the best in us.
Kim told our children that she would be their guardian angel and watch over them. (Daniel Hofman)
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That Saturday we had a common goal. We understood that this day was more important than most for children fighting cancer. We built a bond by connecting to something bigger than ourselves. And we learned a profound lesson from Jessie: Joy flows in both directions – from the child who opens the Joy Jar, back to the person who filled it.
It’s always a great day when I get a call from a producer from “America Reports” that I have the honor of sharing the big screen with John Roberts and his esteemed co-host, Sandra Smith. But on this day, it felt good to take the time to analyze the national security challenges of the time and appreciate and embrace our shared humanity.
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