NEGU! In Honor Of...

Jessica Joy Rees...

I follow a few blogs and facebook pages that I have no memory of starting.  One is Jessica Rees facebook page.  Jessica was a 12 year old girl that found out in March 2011 that she had brain cancer.  She fought it like a champ though - posting multiple daily reports of what she was going through and what was ahead.  Posts like, "Chemo today, then daddy and I will work puzzles.  NEGU"  "Bloodwork today, then mommy and I will read.  "NEGU"  Nearly every post ended with a good note.  Something bad was always followed with something she looked forward to.  

I read all her posts for months - following her through the good and the bad.  A few weeks ago, Jessie asked her Dr if she could go to Colorado - she wanted to play in the snow.  After much contemplation she was allowed to go.  Posts like "I get to go to Colorado to play in the snow!  I am going to have a snowball fight with daddy!  NEGU"  Then, "They wouldn't let my oxygen on the plane, but I don't think I will need it, so we went anyway!  NEGU" And finally, "I had a snowball fight!  I laughed until I cried - I love playing in the snow!  NEGU"

NEGU was started by the sweet young lady to raise awareness of kids with cancer.  Her initial goal was to get 50,000 'likes' on facebook to raise 50,000 people's awareness about kids with cancer.  Do you know what NEGU means?  Never Ever Give Up!  She started stuffing plastic jars she labeled 'Joy Jars' with sweet nothings (crayons, socks, words of encouragement; fun things) for kids with cancer and she put a note in there to Never Ever Give Up!  NEGU! and sent them to hundreds of kids with cancer.  What a wonderful idea from a TWELVE year old!

2 days ago, I got up and read her much anticipated post:  "I am going to have a CAT scan today - at least it doesn't have needles!  NEGU"  

Then the next post I saw was this:  

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Dear friends...we have prayed and prayed and prayed for sweet Jessie to be healed here on earth but God's plan was to use heaven for healing. Jessie earned her wings today and is with Jesus now!!! No pain..complete vision...spreading joy. Please pray for our family as we walk out of the valley of death and towards the mountain top. We will let everyone know of her celebration service as arrangements are made. 

Please join us in carrying on her joyful spirit and Never Ever Give Up "NEGU" attitude. 

Much love, Erik, Stacey, Shaya and JT

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I don't know what happened, but somehow 'our' little Jessica Joy Rees lost her fight with cancer - but she never ever gave up - and she has touched thousands of lives, including mine.  How does one child have such optimism?  The best part was she shared it with us and encouraged other children who had the horrid 'cancer' word in their vocabulary.   

Yesterday was a sad day for me.  I had to get out of the house, so I went to a friends and she and I ran errands... I don't even think I mentioned anything about Jessie - I was not ready to share with the world a loss that hit me so hard I couldn't explain...
 

As we were driving out of town to do the errands, we came upon an accident that had just happened - apparently in the previous few minutes.  A motorcycle was on the side of the road, obviously involved in the accident.  A man was sitting on the side of the road, dabbing at his head and the van that pulled out in front of him was sitting in a driveway.  They were all waiting obviously waiting on emergency vehicles as the parties in the van were looking down the highway.  As we passed, I felt the need to go to the man - he was sitting by himself dabbing his head - but I wasn't driving and I was still in a daze trying to figure out what went wrong with Jessica that I didn't say anything.  We passed the accident by and continued on to do our errands... oh there were other people there, but the man from the bike was sitting alone.

And I worried... I worried about Jessica's family and about the man with the head injury that seemed okay right now, but someone needed to be with him... having had another friend that was involved in the same kind of situation I knew it might now be so simple.   She was involved in and accident with man on a motorcycle who got to close to her car and his mirror hit her mirror - you would have to see the thousands of bikes in Asia to understand, but it was his fault - and the witnesses cleared her of any wrong going.  He seemed ok then, in fact, he was even talking but he later went into a coma and died from the head injury.  I knew that this could happen to the man sitting on the side of the road with a head injury... had someone called his family in case it was serious?  Minutes matter...

My concern for this man involved in the accident continues today.  I have no way of ever knowing how this story turns out, but it reminded me that life is so very short.  Jessie thought she was going to have a CAT scan done - but she got her angel wings instead. This man never thought he would be dealing with a potentially serious head injury and the man that hit my friend was only in a rush to get to work.  All of those lives and thousands more... just a moment away from a life changing or ending event.

We just never know... 

The thought that finally comes to mind is this:  People we don't even know touch our hearts very deeply.  Often we don't know the outcome of the circumstances or their stories, but they change our lives in little ways that affect our thoughts, or doings and prayers - and if we are lucky, they leave heart strings forever like little Jessica Joy Rees did for me.

Have a great day - cherish every precious moment.  

NEGU.   For Jessie.

If you heart is turned toward Jessie and her NEGU cause, would you mind donating a little towards her Joy Jars? 

And do you mind saying a prayer for yesterdays motorcycle man?  I am sure he could use it...