Jessica was vibrant, full of life, trustworthy and a loving young lady. She was the protector of her little brother and an advocate for the underdog. Jessie's strength, courage and faith were deep-seated.

In March of 2001 Jessie's life changed forever, she had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called Synovial Cell Sarcoma. Jessica bravely battled her disease for 3 ½ years. During that time she affected many lives for the better. Jessica changed how a wounded soldier looked at life, she brought people who had parted ways back to each other, she made mothers and fathers alike appreciate their children and show them more support and love than they had in the past, she inspired friends to take the initiative to help others less fortunate. Jessica's fortitude and faith carried her throughout her illness.

Jessica always saw the good in people and had a way of making everyone she met feel very comfortable. She had wisdom and maturity far beyond her age. She was a 14 year old child who could carry a conversation with anyone from ages 2 to 100. She always made people see what was really important and everything else was trivial.

Mom, Dad, Andrew & Anna

Below is a letter from one of Jessica's friends that she met at the hospital:

I don't think any words could even begin to explain how inspirational, loving, and positive Jessica was in her long, tough battle for her life. I met Jessica when I was in the hospital in November of 2001. I was very scared, and felt alone, meeting Jessica was a blessing. Even when I went home, still sick, I lost a lot of my friends, and people truly didn't understand, keeping in touch with Jessica kept my spirits high. Though, she was fighting for the biggest battle she ever would. Jessica held on so long, and wanted everyone else to be happy. I struggled dealing with my medical aliments, but every time I talked to Jessica I realized I had to fight just as hard as her. I don't think I ever had as much courage, and strength as Jessica did. It amazes me how Jessica was always in good spirits even though she was in so much pain, and suffering so much.

It's upsetting how uncaring some people were to her, but she let it go, and only worked twice as hard. She went through so much, she suffered, got sick through all the chemotherapy and radiation, but yet she never complained. I still remember one day she called me, it makes me cry writing this, and she carried on a normal conversation as we always did. She told me her lung had collapsed and she was in the hospital and wanted to know how I was. Now just tell me how good of a person she was. I was ill myself, but she had just endured so much, and still so close to death. I miss Jessica so much and I know that she is the only one who really understood true suffering and what it was like to grow up at a young age. Jessica was the type of person who would make you feel like there was purpose and reason for being here no matter what cross you were given. She left an impact on so many lives. She truly touched mine, and I'm happy to say I've gotten healthy and am no longer on the verge of fighting for my life. My situation was hard for my family after being misdiagnosed and sent to many hospitals, but as much as I hated the pain and hurtful people I would live it all again just so I could meet my best friend one more time. Life is so short, but Jessica made the most out of it. Even up to Jessica's last moments she made you laugh, cry, and feel at ease to be a part of her life.

Kylee Longevitch